Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
A few days ago, I saw this book in paperback in the grocery store. I had seen it in hardback in the bookstores for some time and on recent book recommendation websites. As the cover indicates, it was a number one New York Times bestseller and a “Reese’s Book Club” choice. It also got 4.3 stars on Goodreads and 4.6 on Amazon. When I researched the book, I discovered that Reese Witherspoon’s production company has a movie version in development.
In reviews, this book was called hilarious, which it is in places. It has also been called wacky and heartbreaking. It is all of those and more. It’s the story of a 29-year-old woman who works in an office job in Glasgow, Scotland. She is a loner, has facial scars and, as we come to find out, much deeper emotional and mental scars. Her co-workers talk about her and laugh at her, and not always behind her back.
I found Eleanor to be a genuinely wacky but an absolutely sympathetic character. She is extremely intelligent, well educated, widely read, completes crosswords on her lunch break every day, and really does think she is completely fine. But she also says what she thinks, lacks social skills, and is judgmental about her fellow humans. Because she has little awareness of popular culture, she struggles to understand common activities and normal human habits. Still, she is good at her job, and although she doesn’t fit in socially, she manages her limited life on a day-to-day basis.
Gradually, as the story unfolds, we (and Eleanor) learn what happened to cause her internal and external scars – that’s what kept me reading. We also see her grow and soften as she reluctantly makes a friend, Raymond, an IT guy at work. Over time, she is drawn out and into the larger world around her. One lunchtime, Raymond and Eleanor stop to help an elderly man who collapsed on the sidewalk and is taken to the hospital. As a result, they both get to know his extended family. Another day, Raymond takes Eleanor along to visit his mother for tea. Slowly, Eleanor begins to understand what more normal family relationships look like.
Watching Eleanor face her unknowns and grow into a more whole person is what moves the story forward. Her path to wholeness is funny, sad, heartwarming, and heartbreaking all at the same time. We root for her to succeed – to be rescued from her isolation. And I really wanted to know (and wanted Eleanor to find out) what in her past caused her scars.
The underlying theme of this story is loneliness. It was satisfying to see Eleanor gradually become aware of the interactions between the other characters’ families and friends and to realize what normal friendship and love look like. And although Eleanor’s situation is unique, it’s clear we all have experienced Eleanor’s sort of loneliness at some time. We have all been judgmental and let past negative experiences color our thoughts and actions, which makes Eleanor all the more understandable.
I plan to pass this book along and/or recommend it to several friends. It would be a great book for a book group because there is so much to discuss about Eleanor’s predicament. Personally, I gave it 4.5 stars. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
