Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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If modern, contemporary fiction is your thing, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine offers an increasing novel with an interesting perspective and a surprising twist. Especially for fans of arguably (though hotly debated whether Eleanor is a neurodivergent perspective), this book has a lot to offer and not too hefty a page count to deliver it in. 

Let’s take a look! 

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 390

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 18 Jan 2018

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/4tHgdv6

Goodreads – Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than…. fine?

 

My Thoughts

Plot 

It would only be fair to start my review and say that this book isn’t going to be for everybody. For those especially sensitive to narratives borne from or concerning trauma, this may not be for you. However, if you are open-minded like me and want to read from a vast variety of perspectives, then let’s dive in. 

Now, about said trauma, there are no spoilers here. That would entirely void the enjoyment out of the book and I’m not going to be the person that does that for you.

What I can say is that what takes place in this book shocked me, but in a good way. I wasn’t anticipating this book to take the route it did. But, I’m glad it did. I didn’t anticipate the twist at all and I loved being surprised. I love the growth we see in Eleanor throughout the book as well. For a woman who has taken to safety in sticking to her same-old routine, it was great to see the catalyst events that rock her world. 

 

Characters 

I interpreted this book as Eleanor being autistic. Whilst I have since read that this topic is hotly debated, and certainly not the intention of the author Gail Honeyman, I came out of this book thinking Eleanor was autistic. 

Regardless of whether her character is intended to come across that way because of biology, or because of events that have taken place in her life, there are personality traits and personal difficulties here that neurodivergent people may find very relatable. It’s rare to see a perspective like this. Whether it was intended or not, this could be an interesting book to pick up for anyone wanting to learn about this kind of perspective and the boons and difficulties of such traits can give a person in their life. 

Aside from the autism argument, Eleanor is an interesting character. She is very rigid in her ways and really struggles when she is asked or expected to deviate from her normal routine. This somewhat falls apart in the book when events spiral out of control and she’s forced to confront reality instead of hiding in her manufactured bubble.

 

Setting 

If you want to pick up a book where the setting is very reminiscent of modern day, and doesn’t require too much imagination, this is for you.

The life and situation of Eleanor Oliphant is not too far away from our own. In fact, we may know our own Eleanor Oliphant and we’re completely unaware. It certainly wasn’t too far of a stretch for me to read. Whilst thankfully I’m not aware of anyone in my life going through this circumstance, the mundaneness of office life, challenging work colleagues and the general stresses of life is not difficult for me to imagine – it’s my everyday reality.

I would say this is the only sense in which this book is easy to read. Well, that’s not true. In terms of writing style and engagement, it’s up there as well. Character development and plot though – that is a little bit different, but the best of ways. It’s not simple, or straightforward. Rather, it’s complex but engaging. Hard, but full of mystery and questions and determination to find the answers…. 

 

Narrative Style 

As I mentioned above, in terms of writing style, this book is very easy to read. Combine this with the engaging plot, interesting character dynamics and a mystery to unravel, and this book had me hooked.

So much so, I distinctly remember cramming as much of this booking before a hospital appointment. No panic, just a routine smear test. Why do I remember that? Maybe it’s even weirder that I’m sharing that… but go get checked ladies, it’s nowhere near as bad as you think. 

ANYWAY… this book had me hooked that I wasn’t worrying or even thinking about the appointment coming, other than it’s being a disturbance to my being able to read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I was dedicated to the cause, as always really 🤣 

The chapters are nice and short in this book, meaning I was able to pretty easily put this down in a good place when I did have to go for my appointment. It helps with the overall pacing and snappy changes and revelations that occur later in the book. It works well in the wider narrative style. 

 

Summary 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was an easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me. I didn’t want to put it down! 

Overall, I read the book in just a few days, with the second half of the book being devoured in a single day alone! In my July 2023 wrap up post, I raved about the intriguing plotline and engaging narrative, and that I loved the books focus on mental health. 

Have you read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine? Do you want to pick up a copy after reading this review?

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