"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman

My sister gave me this book for my birthday. It was on my TBR (to be read) list, so I was pretty excited. She said that she heard it was funny. I was ready for a funny book!

I had a difficult time getting into this book. Eleanor annoyed me in the beginning. She seemed to annoy the other characters too, like her coworkers. She just seemed so disconnected from people and normal human interactions. She was awkward and she made me uncomfortable. She drinks a lot, but doesn't think it is a problem. She lives in a house that was furnished with second hand stuff, like a frog chair and Power Rangers clock, and never thinks anything of it. Eleanor's prized possession is her plant, her only companion. Eleanor is ruled by routine and consistency.

Then, as the book went on and I learned more about Eleanor, I felt bad for making such a quick judgment about this character. Eleanor had lived through some pretty severe trauma! Her life with her mom was difficult and she ended up in foster care being moved from home to home. She was a difficult kid and she learned not to depend on anyone or to stay at any home for too long. Damn....I had been so unfair towards Eleanor.

Then Eleanor meets Raymond and he overlooks all of the awkwardness and lack of basic social skills. He is an extrovert who takes sweet introverted Eleanor under his wing and helps her to have a semi-normal social life. Eleanor starts to meet new people and have new experiences. She begins to learn to have interactions with others and they seem to like her. She is surprised and pleased.

Through all of this Eleanor continues to have weekly phone calls with her mom, who appears to be in prison. Her mom is mean and demeaning. Although Eleanor hates these conversations, she still takes them every week like clockwork.

Eleanor falls into a deep depression and just gives up, she stops working and she drinks nonstop. Raymond is there for her, he helps her come back to life and encourages her to see a therapist. What a huge difference this makes! Eleanor's life is changed and she has some difficult conversations that she has never had before.

I'm not going to spoil the rest of the book because it is worth reading. This book WAS funny! I enjoyed watching Eleanor's transformation and cheering for her along the way. I loved seeing the kindness of other people. It's amazing to see how trauma can freeze us in life, in relationships, in normal development! I think everyone can relate to Eleanor in one small way or another. We are all a little awkward, we are all a little clueless, we are all a little scared. Gail Honeyman wrote a beautiful book that brought a relatable and lovable character to life. READ THIS BOOK! You won't regret it.