Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is a bit of an odd ball. She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. That, combined with her unusual appearance (scarred cheek, sometime wearer of an eczema glove), means that Eleanor has become a bit of a loner – or ‘self-contained entity’ as she calls it. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life and phone chats with ‘Mummy’ (in prison for crimes unknown).

But everything changes when Eleanor falls for the local Hipster-band frontman, Johnnie Rivers. As Eleanor prepares herself for her inevitable union with the object of her desire (appropriate attire, new laptop for Instagram stalking), she inadvertently befriends the new guy from her office, Raymond.

As Eleanor navigates the waters of obsessive love and her long-distance relationship with ‘Mummy’, she realises she can only overcome the horrors of her past if she accepts a little help from Raymond…

Filled with unabashed wit, Eleanor Oliphant follows its quirky and troubled female narrator as she realises that the only way to survive her current state of mind is to open her heart to friendship.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine has become one of my favourite books because of how much humour and heart it had in it. It’s a lighthearted book with dark and serious undertones, and it worked well for me.

Eleanor is often seen as an odd person by those around her. She has a set routine, she doesn’t particularly socialize, and she doesn’t have friends. People react to her behaviour positively and negatively, and found this very realistic and so much better than having everyone either mock her/tip toe around her all the time.

Honeyman explores themes of loneliness and trauma as it relates to Eleanor and how she lives her life. Loneliness is definitely a topic I don’t see often in books and it was nice to have it written in a realistic and relatable way. Mental health was a big part of this book and I appreciated Honeyman’s approach to handling the pain and challenges that come with it, as well as seeking for help and finding support. I also loved the strong theme of friendship in this book and enjoyed watching Eleanor and her relationships develop over time.

That being said, I’m conflicted about some aspects of this book because while some of Eleanor’s actions are obviously intended to be funny, I questioned whether it was really ok for me to find it that way. Some of her actions/reactions also felt a bit exaggerated but overall, I loved Eleanor because she may be odd and come off as rude, but she is also kind and sweet.

I did feel a bit of a disconnect with the reveal of Eleanor’s past. It felt quite extreme to me and it would’ve been more powerful if Eleanor was just how she was without a big, dark reason behind it. This is of course my personal preference and it doesn’t stop me from liking the book, but it would be nice to have a character who struggles with loneliness and mental health while being socially awkward to say that hey, you don’t need a life changing event to relate to these things and take steps to get help and improve your overall well-being.