I read this book in November last year, sandwiched between two unforgettable reads – The Luminaries and A Suitable Boy. So, now, while I am writing this review, I am a little lost on what to say.
In my notes, I see that I gave it 4 stars, and that it was extremely sad, but to write a fully formed review, I had to open the book and skim through it once again to remind me why I liked this book so much.
What’s the book about?
Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.
Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled existence.
Except, sometimes, everything.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
The book synopsis reminded me of The Rosie Project – a book about an Asperger’s man finding love. And the book is similar in some ways. Eleanor is definitely on the spectrum, but this book is not a love story. It’s about the loneliness that people face – especially people like her.
She follows a very structured daily routine and is generally happy with it. That is, until she unexpectedly falls in love – with someone quite unsuitable. The changes she forces herself to make in order to get with him are hilarious, heartbreaking, and touching. It reminded me so much of my teenage crushes, and how hard I fell and how vulnerable I felt.
Thankfully, a lot of good things happen to Eleanor as a result of her self improvement. She begins to make friends at work and outside. She slowly learns to understand and accept her traumatic past, and change self-destructive behavior patterns.
When I reviewed The Rosie Project, I mentioned that I found the protagonist’s character development hard to swallow. That wasn’t the case with Eleanor. She made a very realistic character and I thought her struggles and anxieties were portrayed very well. And while she changes a lot throughout the novel, at no time does it feel forced or unbelievable.
The book is sad and uplifting at the same time – sad because Eleanor’s life is so sad. But uplifting because of how she manages to surround herself with people who are gunning for her to succeed. It’s safe to say that at the end of the book, I cried many happy tears for Eleanor.
Overall, this was a very rewarding and heartwarming story. This is the author Gail Honeyman’s debut novel, and she really knocked it out of the park. Looking forward to more books by her.
