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A review by nancyflanagan
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
3.0
My take on this book seems to be a minority opinion.
The book made me profoundly uncomfortable, especially near the beginning. I didn't find it 'hilarious' or even heart-tugging. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong with Eleanor Oliphant, because something clearly was.
The book was strongly reminiscent of 'The Rosie Project,' another crowd-pleasing book that I didn't really care for, where the protagonist was on the autism spectrum, but finds a sweet girl to marry him--getting married was his 'project.' Eleanor also has a similar project, but the reader is supposed to find her fantasies, weird idiosyncrasies and raging alcoholism endearing or amusing.
There's a Big Secret, of course, which we get to hear near the end of the book, but by then, I was so weary of worrying that nobody would ever diagnose and treat this poor girl that it just felt like more manipulation.
I don't like to be yanked around by an author looking for some horrifying twists to support pathos. I heard such good things about this book, but I found it disappointing. Three stars.
The book made me profoundly uncomfortable, especially near the beginning. I didn't find it 'hilarious' or even heart-tugging. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong with Eleanor Oliphant, because something clearly was.
The book was strongly reminiscent of 'The Rosie Project,' another crowd-pleasing book that I didn't really care for, where the protagonist was on the autism spectrum, but finds a sweet girl to marry him--getting married was his 'project.' Eleanor also has a similar project, but the reader is supposed to find her fantasies, weird idiosyncrasies and raging alcoholism endearing or amusing.
There's a Big Secret, of course, which we get to hear near the end of the book, but by then, I was so weary of worrying that nobody would ever diagnose and treat this poor girl that it just felt like more manipulation.
I don't like to be yanked around by an author looking for some horrifying twists to support pathos. I heard such good things about this book, but I found it disappointing. Three stars.