Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Age Range: Adult
Author: Gail Honeyman
Penguin Books
2018
ISBN: 978-0735220690
List Price: $9.69 (amazon.com)
During the week, Eleanor Oliphant works in an office. On the weekend, she enjoys pizza and vodka. And then there are her weekly phone chats with Mummy. She’s fine. But when she and Raymond, a somewhat sloppy co-worker, work together to help an elderly gentleman, her world gets a little less lonely. And that is exactly what she needs to come face to face with a terrible past to be able to move forward.
A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, this was a great success for Honeyman’s debut novel. I read this one on a MOMs Club Facebook post recommendation, and admit it wasn’t quite what I expected. The promise of “incredibly funny” had me expecting something a bit lighter. Despite that, I enjoyed Eleanor’s quirky and unique voice, and there was certainly some humor in the book. Be prepared for some dark history, however. The themes of the impact of loneliness and the meaningful impact simple, but real, human interactions can have on a person are noteworthy. I found them to be thought-provoking and worthwhile of consideration. As a side note, I found reading this book helped expand my vocabulary more than some of my recent reads have, as Eleanor is quite the logophile.