Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman


Eleanor is so eccentric and lovable I just want to hug her but, undoubtedly, she would not understand why. And her perceived reasoning as to why I would want to hug her would probably be hilarious.

Eleanor is a loner, partly by choice, partly because of her eccentricities. But when she encounters a singer in a band she believes he's "the one" and makes a plan to make herself irresistible to him when they finally meet. The descriptions in the steps she takes to meet her goal are so funny it was hard for me not to laugh out loud. In fact, I did laugh out loud more than once.

She also befriends Raymond, the IT guy at her workplace. He's just an ordinary, average-looking, normal guy who "gets" Eleanor. Most of the time. Even when he doesn't, he still comes back for more.

Throughout the book we learn, bit by bit, that Eleanor endured a traumatic childhood involving a mother who abused her physically and emotionally. After a series of current events, she is able to come to grips with that, too.

Be warned that Eleanor is one of the most unreliable narrators you could find. But, by the end of the book, you'll forgive her. You might even want to hug her, too.


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