Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
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At the risk of sounding like an asshole-- I’m surprised that I loved this book as much as I did. I like Reese Witherspoon, but I wouldn’t say I’m terribly crazy about her book club. I obviously love that she’s encouraging people to read, but--idk-- maybe I’m being pretentious about it all? It seems like she would be pushing fluffy beach reads. There, I said it.
Not that I’m exclusively focused on “serious literature”. I read whatever I want and then review it. A lot of those books could be read on the beach. I’ve actually read, reviewed, and enjoyed several books from her overall book list: Such a Fun Age (4/5), Little Fires Everywhere (4/5), Where the Crawdads Sing (3/5), The Alice Network (3/5), and now Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Still, I’m wary of lists like this, because I don’t want it to have this corporate, carefully manicured vibe. Bleh.
Well, I was trippin because I ended up being fully on board with Eleanor from the beginning to the end. As the main character and narrator, she was incredibly complex and nuanced. Love an unreliable narrator forever and ever. It was clear that she had some sort of mental illness and traumatic past, but the extent of her problems unfolded over time. Honeyman sprinkled in vague allusions to her past throughout to keep things plodding mysteriously. Sometimes Eleanor was overly self-aware while other times, I wanted to shake her into some self-awareness.
The message of the book is nice: it’s not enough to just exist, ya gotta have a life. I really enjoyed rooting for Eleanor and growing with her. I especially love that the end is more of an ellipsis than a period. My fear that it’d be cheesy was simply unfounded. It struck my emotional heartstrings and had streaks of real philosophical insight as to what defines loneliness and what makes life meaningful. Also, the writing is excellent. This was Honeyman’s first novel, which is bonkers. She is a Scottish writer, so the piece is set in Scotland and has a Scottish flair, which, as an uncultured American, gave it a unique, exotic twist without seeming inaccessible. Overall, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine receives 5 out of 5 flames. And, while no one is completely fine, I think Eleanor is going to thrive.
