Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful character study of a lonely woman. The reasons behind Eleanor Oliphant's odd behaviour are not obvious at first. The author slowly builds the story, cleverly revealing more and more truths about Eleanor and her past. There are lots of comical scenes that work well to balance the dark side of the tale. I really enjoyed this book; it's so absorbing and intriguing, full of realistic characters. I didn't want it to end.

When we are introduced to Eleanor Oliphant at the beginning of the novel, it's easy to think that she's just another bored office worker and that living alone for so many years and being disappointed by life has turned her into an anti-social person. There is so much more to her story, however. This is a well-crafted book.

There are secrets lurking in Eleanor's past that she has revealed to no one, and some that she has even forgotten but that have had long-lasting and detrimental effects on her mental health.

One thing Eleanor has never really had is a true friend. When she begins an unlikely friendship with Raymond from the IT department at her office her life begins to slowly change. She slowly begins to confront her demons.

"Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" is an easy read but there is a deeper level that challenges the way we think about people who are different in some way. It digs deeper into the reasons behind Eleanor's odd behaviour.

I think that Eleanor is the sort of character that many people will be able to relate to in some way. Everyone has a past and some things that they never tell anyone else. I found her very strange but funny at first and then more and more intriguing as the novel progressed.

The book is full of interesting observations and very thought-provoking. The ending is well done and brings together all the loose ends, although it is the sort of book that could easily become a series because there are so many brilliant characters and ideas that could be explored.

The book deals with, among other things, the subjects of loneliness, child neglect/abuse, mental health.

Highly recommended.



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