Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine is the debut novel from Gail Honeyman. This story is the winner of the Costa First Novel Award 2017 and is in being made into a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Plot
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. And that is the truth. She is always fine. Her life is carefully timetabled. From her desk job doing accounts to the bottles of vodka at the weekend. But her carefully planned life begins to go out the window after she falls in love with a singer and she is forced to help an old man who has fallen. But sometimes when someone says they are fine, they aren’t.
Thoughts on the Story
This is a story like no other. This story is filled with twists and turns that you never see coming. It is surprising how, behind closed doors, everything can be far from normal. I found it impossible to put this book down and read it in one day. I was hooked on the story and how it unfolded. We eventually learn why Eleanor is the way she is, and it could have been revealed earlier in the story, but it would have lost the transformation as Eleanor opens up with the world.
Thoughts on the Author
Gail Honeyman is a new author from Scotland and this is her first novel. At 45 years old, Gail has been working on this novel for years. At university, she studied French poetry and worked at Glasgow University. After her 40th birthday, she decided that it was now or never. In all of the interviews she has given recently, Gail professes that she is still in shock and has tried to manage her expectations about her novel.
Overall
This is an amazing book that has to be read to be believed. It is heart-warming and a terrifying look at what it is to be lonely. We don’t always get the full picture when it comes to people, and this story serves as a reminder that everything is not as it seems.