READ IT. READ IT. READ IT.
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine is Gail Honeyman‘s debut novel and boy did she knock it out of the park. Once again my Book of the Month selection did not disappoint.
Eleanor’s mind became my favorite place to live while I read this book. She’s damaged, socially awkward, and completely clueless as to just how strange she is. Eleanor is hilarious and she doesn’t even know it. I loved experiencing random social niceties through Eleanor’s horribly skewed perception. I actually agreed with more of her commentary on life and people (introverts unite!) than a ‘normal’ person probably should have. I dare say if you identify with Eleanor too much you may want to find Jesus and reach out to Ivy Wellness and Counseling Services to schedule a much needed therapy session.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is on a short list of books I know I will re-read eventually.
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Eleanor’s backstory is as depressing as it is horrible. Thankfully, The drama is not overwhelming because of the unexpected humor you get in Eleanor’s response to the world around her. The narrative is written in such a way that it ties you up emotionally in Eleanor’s present while still allowing you to be completely engrossed in the mystery that is Eleanor’s past.
Gail Honeyman did a phenomenal job of creating real people. The characters in Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine are not perfect or in some cases even pretty. I enjoyed Honeyman’s way of giving her characters realistic physical and mental flaws. Perfection can be boring and I’m almost sick of the stories where everyone involved is beautiful and physically perfect. It was a refreshing change.
SUMMARY
When the book opens we meet Eleanor and realize that her life is in a sad time loop. Monday thru Friday she works. She talks to mummy on Wednesdays. And then she drinks herself into a stupor every weekend. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. When Eleanor finally meets her dream guy her disturbingly simple life quickly becomes more complicated. Change hits her all at once when she is forced, by circumstance and her co-worker Raymond, to help an elderly man named Sammy. Her effort to prepare herself for romantic love is sad and comedic. As Eleanor finds herself in blooming friendships with Raymond and Sammy she is forced to deal with the past she has been ignoring for most of her life.
PLOT TWIST
Endings don’t normally surprise me. I usually have books figured out well before the end but not this time. Gail Honeyman gave me the shock of a lifetime when she finished Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. No exaggeration. I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t imagine it coming. I didn’t even think there was a plot twist left. The end of this story hit me like a train. The bottom line is you need to read this book.
I enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine so much that I am excited to see what Gail Honeyman comes up with next.
Eleanor Oliphant will be hitting the big screen! The movie, starring Reese Witherspoon, is currently in development (find movie info here). If the movie is half as good as the book it will be worth it to go see it.
Do you think the movie will be as good as the book? Comment below and tell me what you think.