Eleanor Oliphant is
Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is unlike any story I have read. Wholly original, funny,
sad and surprising, the author invites us into Eleanor’s world and we
experience it with her.
Eleanor,
the titular character is a loner in the truest sense of the word. Although she
works and lives in a metropolitan city, she has only the most cursory contact
with others. She tells us she likes it that way. She works, has pizza and vodka
on the weekends (to the point of passing out) and talks with her mother once a week.
Eleanor’s
lack of social skills makes us cringe but also laugh. There is an Asperger’s-like quality to her interactions, but one suspects early on that this is because she
never learned these skills rather than as a result of an organic condition. Her
avid intellect is hampered by a complete lack of common sense. Gradually, we
learn of her disturbing past.
A
chance encounter disrupts her regimented life and causes her great distress.
Reluctantly she allows herself to experience new interactions and begins to
change. It should be said that this is not a love story in the traditional
sense. It’s a story of possibilities, unimaginable loss and transformation. I
loved this novel from beginning to end.
Highly
recommend.
No comments:
Post a Comment