If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE.
You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because
you hadn't spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you
say.
As an outsider looking in, Eleanor Oliphant seems to be
doing just fine. She works her regular 9-5, eats the same meals everyday, and reads
ample amounts of literature. She has her daily schedule perfected, always being
sure to squeeze in the essentials such as weekly chats with her malicious Mummy
and helping herself to vodka, albeit – too much vodka, to make it through the lonely weekends.
So then what is the big deal about Eleanor? Why should we
care about someone who is doing perfectly fine? Well Eleanor is… let’s call her
rare.
Eleanor is not your typical 29 year old. She doesn’t fit in
at work, spent her formative years in and out of numerous foster homes, and not
to mention – she refers to bars as public houses. She has zero friends and has a diminutive grasp of anything
remotely related to pop culture. Simply put, calling her socially awkward would be
the understatement of the year. Yet one day, Eleanor wins raffle tickets to a
rock concert where she spots the potential love of her life, Johnnie Lomand, a
lead singer in his local band.
As her interest in Johnnie intensifies, Eleanor takes it
upon herself to begin working toward securing their future together – what she regards
as, her special project. But this
project began to take on a life of its own, as Eleanor, a woman who admittedly
hasn’t gotten her hair cut since she was 13-years-old, pulls a 180. One by one
she begins purchasing a new stylish wardrobe, coloring her hair, and even
getting a bikini wax. All this in the hopes that the love of her life will actually notice her.
Simultaneously as she plans her impending union, Eleanor, along with
her colleague Raymond, encounters a man who collapses on the street just a few feet in front
of them. Without thinking, they call an ambulance and accompany the man, Sammy,
to ensure that he is okay. Days go by as the two continue to check on him, and
a friendship between Eleanor, Raymond and Sammy begins to form. After Sammy
recovers and leaves the hospital, he invites the two of them into his home
where they’re promptly welcomed by his benevolent friends and family members.
With Eleanor’s brand-new social life now falling into place, she
realizes that it’s time to finally put the finishing touches on her special project by taking it to the next
level. But unfortunately, fate had other plans as readers are now introduced to
a new Eleanor, one that is cold, naked and determined to commit suicide.
Readers will find themselves on a capricious rollercoaster
ride throughout the novel as they slowly discover more about Eleanor, her
upbringing, and why she is the way she is – completely fine. If you’re like me,
you’ll slowly begin to love Eleanor as she breaks down the walls around her
guarded heart and allows herself to be more vulnerable and accepting of love.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a marvelous book and easily one
of my absolute favorite novels of the past decade. Gail Honeyman is genius in
her ability to show how Eleanor’s life comes full circle, proving that our
past, no matter how abnormal, isn’t meant to define our future.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Happy reading!
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