Book Review #1
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
“If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn’t spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.”
This has been my opinion for long and surprisingly it is one of the many opinions that Eleanor holds and like the title suggests she believes that she is fine.
Eleanor Oliphant is a quirky thirty-year-old woman who keeps to herself. She reminded me of an episode from the old cartoon series Oswald — Oswald’s friend Henry, the penguin likes to do things as per routine. He goes to the same restaurant, sits at the same table, eats the same dish and so on. Eleanor is also a timetabled person — she goes to work, solves crosswords during lunch, heads home and makes pasta, listens to the radio and later sleeps after reading a book. Her world is very small comprising herself and her ‘mummy’, with whom she does not have a cordial relationship, yet has a phone conversation on Wednesdays. Eleanor is more of an old soul lost in a new generation; with no knowledge of phones, laptops, Instagram and Twitter and even when she uses them sticks to the traditional form of sending messages. She shuns away from makeup and modern lifestyle and is critical of the society. She also often reminded me of Sheldon (Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory though I have watched only the spinoff ‘Young Sheldon’). Like him, she is socially clueless, too quick to judge people, speaks her mind irrespective of the situation and considers other people’s ethics inferior to hers.
But behind her humorous portrayal, there is sadness. There is a trauma that has shaped her life. Though she refuses to accept the fact, she is plagued by ‘Loneliness’ and her life takes a turn when she is unwillingly bound to help an old man along with her coworker Raymond. Over the days, she discovers the intricacies of social interaction and learns to appreciate the life around her. How she finds herself and heals forms the rest of the story.
The author has picked the delicate concept of ‘Loneliness’ and weaved a humorous yet thoughtful tale. She builds the characters slowly and gives them their flaws, making them relatable. Though there are descriptions which I felt dragged the story a little, the storytelling resonated strongly with my emotions. As an introvert myself, I was able to relate with many of her qualms and in this journey with Eleanor, I laughed, sympathized, cried and rediscovered myself.
As Eleanor says, “In the end, what matters is this: I survived.”
P.S: The cover reflects the story and becomes meaningful once the story is completed.
I am glad to have started 2020 with this wonderful book.
