Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine: a story of survival and finding more to life

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is the story of Eleanor who lives an ordinary life. She is a survivor with no missing pieces in her life and proudly proclaims herself to be a self-contained entity. And yet she struggles with appropriate social skills and says exactly what she’s thinking. Everything changes with she meets Raymond Gibbons, the bumbling IT guy from her office. By chance, she and Raymond save Sammy, an elderly man who had fallen, the three rescue each other from lives of isolation and loneliness that they had been living. Through Raymond’s big heart and gentle spirit, Eleanor begins to break the cool exterior and realize that she needs to repair her damaged heart. To live the life of friendship and love that she has discovered, she must confront everything she refuses to acknowledge about the past.

Eleanor Oliphant is a story that takes you completely by surprise. From the opening lines to the closing chapter, the story of Eleanor pulls you in with her dry wit and awkward social interactions. At first, I couldn’t stand Eleanor as she was incredibly cruel as she blurts out her thoughts. Then as she slowly opens up, revealing the truth that her cool façade tried to hide, I sympathized with her and cheered her on as she decided enough’s enough and fight for the life she didn’t think she deserved. The truth she hides is devastating and heartbreaking and once she is able to overcome the power it had over her, she realizes that she doesn’t have to be alone. I highly recommend Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook