Book Review - Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

I had heard so much about this book on Instagram over the past few months that I gave into all the hype and booked a copy of it in the library only to realize that it had a 4 week hold! I was even more curious about its fame and by the time I got hold of the book, I was eager to dive into this 300 odd paged novel.  Here are some quick interesting facts before I get into the review:

1. The author Gail Honeyman got this book published worldwide after winning a writing competition for this 'work in progress' novel. Here's an excerpt from an interview she gave:

2. Reese Witherspoon has optioned rights to produce a movie based on this novel and I am going to be glued to all news (rumors and otherwise!) related to the cast and the release dates!

So, coming back to the actual review, one of the highlights of this book is how the author effortlessly fuses humor with a serious human issue like loneliness. At a time, when our social media accounts show nothing less that perfect lives being led, this book is a subtle nudge in the direction of how positive and impactful even a few real life - social interactions can be. And for someone like me, whose social interactions have gone from a three digit number to a single digit one, this book is totally relatable. 

 The lead character Eleanor is a 30 year old, living by herself and working as an accountant in a small media firm. Her life is a set of fixed routine steps with work on the weekdays and pizzas and vodka on loop till Monday, when the routine begins all over again. This robotic schedule hardly needs change, thanks to her almost non existent social life. She doesn't have any friends, doesn't engage in conversations with her colleagues (more so because a lot times they talk about how weird she is) and cannot seem to comprehend why in the name of social etiquettes, people don't speak their mind! Some hilarious scenes ensue around this dilemma of hers and endear you to her character even more. 

In a chance encounter with her colleague where she helps an old man who faints on the road, a small set of interactions slowly start dripping into her empty life, nourishing her with silent warmth and company. It is in these moments that the book is at it's best. Subtle yet overpowering in emotions. As the book starts to uncover the reasons behind her isolated life and her odd social behavior, Eleanor in the process also learns to allow herself to depend on her 'acquaintances' for help and support. 

Eleanor is a strong independent character, who has her own thoughts and perspectives on life and doesn't for a second indulge in self pity, and yet is affected by a social issue which is barely even realized by people, much less accepted and talked about. This subtle play of emotions throughout the book is what makes up the soul of this book. Happy ending or not (I am not giving any spoilers here!) this is one book I'd definitely recommend as it has something to take away for every audience. 

And for all the budding writers out there, (*cough, me!*) this book proves that there's still hope for them! 

I gave it a 5 star rating on Goodreads! 

Happy Reading!
SSB