A review by brianneh
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I honestly did not think I would like this book that much, but I ended up loving it. It definitely does not get enough hype.
When I first started this book, I was a bit worried about not liking the main character as I found Eleanor to be quite rude. When she didn’t tip any of the service people she came into contact with, I was very annoyed with her.
However, as I kept reading and learned more about Eleanor, she grew on me. Her literal way of interpreting things, while still rude in some cases, was refreshing in others.
Then of course, as we find out more about Eleanor’s past, her oddities begin to make more sense. Her traumatic upbringing and college years are haunting, and made me tear up in a few spots. I kept wondering why did no one get her into therapy when she was young?
I ended up finding Eleanor to be very funny, even if she did not mean to be at times. When she discusses getting ready as a woman or muses about being fed to zoo animals when she dies, I found myself smiling or laughing out loud.
On the other hand, there were many extremely sad parts some of her lines broke my heart. The writing here is so heartbreakingly good and some of the quotes absolutely destroyed me:
“This was an all too familiar social scenario for me; standing alone, staring into the middle of distance. It was absolutely fine. It was absolutely normal. After the fire, at each new school, I'd tried so hard, but something about me just didn't fit. There was, it seemed, no Eleanor-shaped social hole for me to slot into.”

The character development is top-notch. This book broke my heart and put it back together in all the right ways.


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