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A review by arjole2001
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
5.0
This book is a page-turner, it is well-written, the characters are lovely and complex.
I was not expecting the end and the twist turned a 4 stars read into a 5 stars read.
Eleanor gives a few thought-provoking takes on our modern lives: between loneliness and social judgment.
I loved the friendship between Raymond and Eleanor. It is not a given that they love and respect each other at first glance, the relationship building is very-well done. I rooted for them gradually.
I have rarely read a book about a lonely and depressed character I actually loved through and through and did not think as being at least a little narcissistic. So many literary fiction books depict depressed women as self-pitying all the time, desperate to know what is wrong with them and very self-absorbed (« Milk Fed », « Sorrow and Bliss », « Yellowface », « My year of rest and relaxation », « We all want impossible things »).
However in this book, Eleanor’s character is a great depiction of what PSTD and depression are like. Eleanor self-isolates, does not want to be a burden to others, does not see how hurtful she is towards herself… You can see she’s not annoyingly self-obsessed and egoistic, mainly hurt and ill.
I was not expecting the end and the twist turned a 4 stars read into a 5 stars read.
Eleanor gives a few thought-provoking takes on our modern lives: between loneliness and social judgment.
I loved the friendship between Raymond and Eleanor. It is not a given that they love and respect each other at first glance, the relationship building is very-well done. I rooted for them gradually.
I have rarely read a book about a lonely and depressed character I actually loved through and through and did not think as being at least a little narcissistic. So many literary fiction books depict depressed women as self-pitying all the time, desperate to know what is wrong with them and very self-absorbed (« Milk Fed », « Sorrow and Bliss », « Yellowface », « My year of rest and relaxation », « We all want impossible things »).
However in this book, Eleanor’s character is a great depiction of what PSTD and depression are like. Eleanor self-isolates, does not want to be a burden to others, does not see how hurtful she is towards herself… You can see she’s not annoyingly self-obsessed and egoistic, mainly hurt and ill.