A Book that Makes you Believe in Simple Acts of Kindness — Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

You can’t just read a book and just be your normal self. Some stories are meant to stay with you forever and add value to your life.

Yes, you guessed it right! This is one of those books that will make you hop on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. This unputdownable cute story made a lot of buzzes and was taken off the bookshelves as soon as it was released.

So, we can easily conclude that there are several reasons to adore this one.

About the book:

This debut novel by Gail Honeyman is like a box full of emotions that erupt out of it the moment you open the book. The protagonist of this beautifully written story is a girl, Eleanor, who, as the name suggests, is completely fine. Well at least according to her she is fine.

Eleanor is a 30 years-old woman who is content with whatever life has bestowed upon her. Up till this age she has been alone always. Shifting from one foster care home to another, her life has been devoid of emotional bonds and relations. But, she’s okay with that and doesn’t feel that she is missing out on anything.

Eleanor is well-read and well-spoken. However, since she has been alone all her life, that made her a socially-awkward person. She’s authentically herself, and with no filter, she ends up blabbing about what’s going on in her mind. That puts her in strange limelight and makes her the subject of humor among her coworkers.

Eleanor manages to adapt to her normal routine. She doesn’t dream of something big in life. She continues working as an accountant for 9 years, at the same pay. Even her office peeps find her behavior strange. She begins her day early morning, purchases a newspaper during lunchtime, and enjoys doing the crossword on it. At 5:30, she leaves from work. She cooks a simple dinner for herself, normally pasta and salad. Before going to bed, she sometimes watches TV or reads a book. Her routine goes the same ways, except for Wednesdays, when she talks to her “Mummy” for ten minutes.

Over the weekends, she brings a little change. Post work, on Fridays, she collects some pizza, wine, and purchases two bottles of Vodka for her happening weekend. She doesn’t even drink too much and keeps it under control, waiting for Monday to arrive, sitting all by herself.

Everything looks fine until…

Eleanor meets a man called Raymond from the IT department at her office, who comes to fix her computer issues. He picks up interest in her, but Eleanor pays no attention. However, one day they both come across an old man, Sammy, who meets with an accident in front of them. In turn, they both rush to save his life, and that initiates the formation of friendship between all of them.

That just doesn’t end here. During this time, she falls in love with the man of her dreams. In these moments, you’ll laugh and awe at her vague attempts in trying a make-over. Moreover, just to fit into her dream man’s life, she tries hilarious things. For instance, making new friends, or stepping out into public places to rid herself of her social hesitation.

How the story ends and goes about is for the readers to enjoy and read.

Why I loved this book?

I fail to find one single word to describe this unputdownable story. It is hilarious, sad, cute, and so so relatable in terms of her simple habits as a girl.

During the story, Eleanor undergoes a huge transformation which turns everything in her favor and makes her a better person. She will feel messy and wrecked, but you’ll identify with her on multiple parts of her personality. She tries to guard herself well from her “Mummy’s” harsh voice and point-of-view.

What’s best about this book is that, even if there are parts in this book that insinuate the development of the romance, it still revolves around just the life of Eleanor. The author cures her by making her witness simple acts of kindness and not by making her sway in love. I believe that happiness and healing should never be associated with finding love. There’s more to life.

We have all had some part of Eleanor in us, and this book will help you get rid of anything unhealthy we all have been holding onto.

- Purvi Kalra

Originally published at https://www.bookishsanta.com on January 23, 2021.