Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

by Gail Honeyman

 

Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2019, Goodreads Finalist 2017, Women's Prize Longlist 2018

 

Date Read: July 2, 2021

 

Upon diving into this unexpected novel, I began thinking that Eleanor was most likely on the spectrum. And weird? Most definitely. As the story unfolds, not only do I respect her way of understanding the world and herself but I am in awe of her ability to function at such a high level as she does. She has managed to create and hold together a life better than most normal people can.

 

The way her personality has developed allows her a freedom others of us just don’t have. For example, how many women wished they could say: “I don’t want to accept a drink from you, because then I would be obliged to purchase one for you in return, and I’m afraid I’m simply not interested in spending two drinks’ worth of time with you.” Brilliant!

 

As with most things in life, her carefully constructed life begins to unravel with a single act of compassion for an older man who suffers a stroke while crossing the street. This episode, in addition to a crush she forms on a musician, begins to transform her life in every way. She begins to have a social life. She begins to transform her wardrobe, hair and wear make-up. She exposes herself to new experiences.

 

Watching Eleanor blossom was incredibly gratifying and I found myself cheering her on the entire way. Of course, we are offered drips and drabs of her past along the way and know she has been through hell and hasn’t quite come back yet. Starting counseling and forcing her to confront her past is definitely a first step in healing but it’s a long road to hoe.

 

Aligned with her friendship (which I hope for more) with Raymond, I finished this novel knowing that everything was going to turn out okay for her. And with everything happening in my life right now is exactly the kind of novel I needed right now. Thank you, Ms. Honeyman!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Gentleman In Moscow

Image
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2018, Goodreads Finalist 2016, Kirkus Finalist 2016   Date Read: February 24, 2017   From Kirkus Reviews:   “Sentenced to house arrest in Moscow's Metropol Hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal for writing a poem deemed to encourage revolt, Count Alexander Rostov nonetheless lives the fullest of lives, discovering the depths of his humanity.   Inside the elegant Metropol, located near the Kremlin and the Bolshoi, the Count slowly adjusts to circumstances as a "Former Person." He makes do with the attic room, to which he is banished after residing for years in a posh third-floor suite. A man of refined taste in wine, food, and literature, he strives to maintain a daily routine, exploring the nooks and crannies of the hotel, bonding with staff, accepting the advances of attractive women, and forming what proves to be a deeply meaningful relationship with a spirited young girl, Nina. "We are bound to find comfo
Read more

An Island

Image
AN ISLAND by Karen Jennings   Nomination: Booker Longlist 2021   Date Read: December 10, 2022   A short but mighty novel, An Island explores the concept of home, family, identity, the impact of political upheaval and the immigrant experience, when one’s suffering is so intense they move from one shitty country to the next. Samuel has finally found a peaceful home on an island somewhere off the coast of Africa. He was hired as a lighthouse keeper and after a tumultuous life, most of which was spent in prison as a political prisoner, he has carved out a life for himself on this island, enjoying a tranquil existence that basks in the quiet tasks of daily living.   Only after exploring Samuel’s life does the reader understand why such an isolated, spare and lonely existence satisfy him, with no desire to escape but only to grow deeper roots. His life witnessed the end of the British occupation, the installation of a brutal dictator and yet another dictator after the first was poisoned. Sam
Read more

The Changeling

Image
THE CHANGELING by Victor LaValle   Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2019, LA Times Finalist 2017, PEN/Jean Stein Finalist 2018   Date Read: July 21, 2024   From Kirkus Reviews: “A  tragedy thrusts a mourning father into peculiar, otherworldly corners of New York City. When Apollo and Emma have their baby, Brian, it feels like both reward and challenge for the new dad. Apollo, the son of a single mother, had been scraping by as a bookseller who hunts estate and garage sales for rare first editions, so even the unusual circumstance of Brian's birth (in a stalled subway train) seems like a blessing, as does the way Apollo stumbles across a first edition of  To Kill a Mockingbird  (inscribed by Harper Lee to Truman Capote, no less) shortly after. But after some young-parent squabbles and inexplicable images on their smartphones foreshadow trouble, the story turns nightmarish: Apollo finds himself tied up and beaten by Emma, then forced to listen to the sounds of Brian’s murder. LaValle has
Read more