Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Move over, Ove (in Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove, 2014)—there's a new curmudgeon to love. Thirty-year-old Eleanor Oliphant leads a highly predictable life, working at an office, eating the same meals alone in her apartment, and spending her weekends regularly administering vodka (she usually goes without speaking to another human from the time she bids farewell to the bus driver on Friday until she greets another one on Monday). She is, as she regularly tells herself, fine. But when a chance encounter with a local musician sends her reeling into the throes of a full-fledged crush, her carefully constructed world breaks open. Soon she is embarking on a self-improvement program from the outside in, complete with shopping trips, manicure, makeup, and attempts at hairstyling. The real changes, however, are slowly taking place within, as she develops a friendship with a man from work and eventually learns the wonderful rewards that come to those who open their hearts. Walking in Eleanor's practical black Velcro shoes is delightfully amusing, her prudish observations leavened with a privately puckish humor. But readers will also be drawn in by her tragic backstory, which slowly reveals how she came to be so entirely Eleanor. Witty, charming, and heartwarming, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a remarkable debut about a singular woman. Readers will cheer Eleanor as she confronts her dark past and turns to a brighter future. Feel good without feeling smarmy. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
2017's bittersweet breakout debut
The reading world is in love with curmudgeons—perhaps because we all feel unbearably awkward at times—and Eleanor Oliphant, the lonely heroine of Gail Honeyman's debut novel, is the latest hit.
Thirty-year-old Eleanor isn't concerned with anything outside of her weekly ritual. But sometimes "fine" isn't good enough, and when a love interest and unexpected friendships cross her path, Eleanor slowly ventures into social interactions and takes tentative steps toward confronting the great pain in her past. Her description of learning to dance the "YMCA" is worth the price of admission alone.
Brimming with heartbreak and humor, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine was shortlisted for the U.K.'s Lucy Cavendish Prize in 2014 and was a hot title at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. Rights were sold in 26 countries, and soon after its U.S. publication in May, Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, announced plans to bring it to the big screen.
We asked Honeyman, who lives in Glasgow, Scotland, some questions about her standout debut.
Did you have any idea that the world would receive Eleanor Oliphant with such open arms?
Definitely not! As a debut writer, I was managing my expectations for the book very rigorously throughout the process of completing and submitting the manuscript. I still can't quite believe what's happened with it—I'm pinching myself!
What reactions to Eleanor have surprised you the most?
I'm delighted by how incredibly generous readers have been. When we first meet Eleanor, she's not, on the surface, a particularly likable character; people have talked about feeling protective toward her, which has been wonderful to hear.
In Eleanor, you have created a wholly original heroine: She is a social outsider, but she's doing her best to avoid self-pity. She is—she must be—fine. Where did this determined voice come from?
I wanted to show that Eleanor is a survivor, that she's damaged but not broken by what has happened to her. I also thought it was important, if the character was going to work, that Eleanor never displays or experiences self-pity, however distressing her circumstances. I wanted to leave space in the narrative for the reader to draw their own conclusions about her life and her experiences and how she's responded to them, and hopefully, to empathize with Eleanor as a result.
At one point, Eleanor says, "Loneliness is the new cancer." In the way people used to fear saying the word "cancer," loneliness is often considered embarrassing, even shameful. Why did you decide to write about it?
The idea for the book was initially sparked by an article I read about loneliness. It included an interview with a young woman who lived alone in a big city, had an apartment and a job, but who said that unless she made a special effort, she would often leave work on a Friday night and not talk to anyone again until Monday morning. That really struck me, because when loneliness is discussed in the media, it's usually in the context of older people. When I thought more about it, I realized that there were plenty of potential routes to a young person finding themselves in those circumstances, through no fault of their own, and how hard it can be, at any age, to forge meaningful connections. From this, the story and the character of Eleanor slowly began to emerge.
"People have talked about feeling protective toward [Eleanor], which has been wonderful to hear."
Eleanor is aware that love could change her, to help her "rise from the ashes and be reborn." She sets her sights on local musician Johnnie Lomond, and through the internet and social media, she's able to believe that love with him is possible. What are your feelings about the false intimacy that can be formed through social media?
Eleanor's passion for Johnnie is a crush— I tried to show, in her responses to him, that it's a very juvenile passion. Although she's 30 years old, emotionally she seems much younger because of what's happened to her. I'm not sure about social media more generally, but in the book, it was a very useful way of allowing the reader to see aspects of Johnnie which Eleanor, in the throes of her crush, is oblivious to.
I would be terrified and delighted to hear Eleanor's initial impression of me. She's so eloquent and specific with her harsh judgment. How would Eleanor describe your book?
That's a tricky one! Although Eleanor's directness causes her some problems socially, the first-person narrative allows readers to know that there's no deliberate intention on her part to offend. It certainly makes life a bit awkward for her sometimes, though!
Some of my favorite moments of the book are when Eleanor ventures into areas of physical self-improvement, as her descriptions of getting a bikini wax or a manicure had me laughing aloud in public. What was the most fun to write?
I don't have a favorite scene but did make myself laugh when I was writing the ones you've mentioned, so it's very reassuring to hear that they made you laugh, too—thank you!
Eleanor has a spectacular vocabulary and perfect grammar. Has your own speech improved after spending so much time in Eleanor's head?
Sadly not, I suspect! I wanted to make Eleanor's voice a distinctive component of her character, and a big part of that was her unusual and mannered way of articulating her thoughts, both internally and in conversation. In some respects, her speech mannerisms result from her loneliness and lack of social interaction, and unfortunately, they also sometimes serve to reinforce this. As a writer, trying to capture that particular voice was both a challenge and enormous fun.
ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our review of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Author photo credit Philippa Gedge Photography UK.
This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2017 BookPage Reviews.BookPage Reviews
Confessions of a curmudgeon
In Gail Honeyman's captivating debut novel, we meet Eleanor Oliphant, a 30-year-old single woman working at a downtown design firm in Glasgow, Scotland. This might seem like the perfect setting for a saucy lifestyle, but Eleanor is less Carrie Bradshaw and more Sophia Petrillo of "The Golden Girls."
From the outside, Eleanor's regimented and lonely life—which includes sensible, black Velcro shoes and lots of vodka—might be construed as depressing and that of an outcast. But this is where Honeyman proves us wrong. For all her awkwardness and complete lack of friends, Eleanor is anything but sad or apologetic. Eleanor, in fact, is fine, and sometimes even shockingly hilarious in how she perceives the world.
A change is due, however, when two unexpected incidents force Eleanor to mingle with the rest of the population. First, a love interest, in the form of a musician named Johnnie Lomond, jump-starts her fashion and vanity sensibilities. Second, Raymond, the nerdy IT guy at work, pulls her into various social obligations, despite her best efforts to avoid them.
Hesitant at first, Eleanor eventually finds these interactions to be comforting and full of hope. But old demons are hard to shake, and Eleanor crashes hard into her old ways as she suddenly decides that joy and friendships are not things she deserves.
Honeyman includes some horrific details that make up Eleanor's past, but somehow they never feel burdening or despairing. Ultimately, this is a feel-good story that will make readers laugh and cheer for Eleanor as she learns that the past doesn't dictate the future, and that happiness can be hers. This is a must-read for those who love characters with quirks.
This article was originally published in the May 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2017 BookPage Reviews.Kirkus Reviews
A very funny novel about the survivor of a childhood trauma.At 29, Eleanor Oliphant has built an utterly solitary life that almost works. During the week, she toils in an office—don't inquire further; in almost eight years no one has—and from Friday to Monday she makes the time go by with pizza and booze. Enlivening this spare existence is a constant inner monologue that is cranky, hilarious, deadpan, and irresistible. Eleanor Oliphant has something to say about everything. Riding the train, she comments on the automated announcements: "I wondered at whom these pearls of wisdom were aimed; some passing extraterrestrial, perhaps, or a yak herder from Ulan Bator who had trekked across the steppes, sailed the North Sea, and found himself on the Glasgow-Edinburgh service with literally no prior experience of mechanized transport to call upon." Eleanor herself might as well be from Ulan Bator—she's never had a manicure or a haircut, worn high heels, had anyone vi sit her apartment, or even had a friend. After a mysterious event in her childhood that left half her face badly scarred, she was raised in foster care, spent her college years in an abusive relationship, and is now, as the title states, perfectly fine. Her extreme social awkwardness has made her the butt of nasty jokes among her colleagues, which don't seem to bother her much, though one notices she is stockpiling painkillers and becoming increasingly obsessed with an unrealistic crush on a local musician. Eleanor's life begins to change when Raymond, a goofy guy from the IT department, takes her for a potential friend, not a freak of nature. As if he were luring a feral animal from its hiding place with a bit of cheese, he gradually brings Eleanor out of her shell. Then it turns out that shell was serving a purpose. Honeyman's endearing debut is part comic novel, part emotional thriller, and part love story. Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Reviews
Eleanor Oliphant, the friendless 29-year-old finance clerk in a small Scottish graphics design firm, feels safest in the cocoon of strict routines both at work and at home. Unfazed by office gossip about her peculiarities (she acknowledges that her coworkers have a point), Eleanor's careful firewalls start to crack. She simultaneously develops a crush on a bar musician and is reluctantly drawn into a tentative friendship with Raymond, the new IT guy, and with Sammy, an older man whose life she and Raymond save. Without a shred of self-pity and lacking nearly all social skills (but willing to learn them) owing to her shocking, savage past, Eleanor is unaware of her ability to charm and inspire those who want to help her and those who grow to care for her.
Library Journal Reviews
Socially maladroit Eleanor Oliphant manages to forge a bond with bumbly but bighearted Raymond, the office IT guy. Then they befriend Sammy, an older gent they rescue. Short-listed for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, bought with a second novel in a multiday auction, and sold to 26 countries.
Copyright 2016 Library Journal.PW Annex Reviews
Thirty-year-old narrator Eleanor Oliphant's life in Glasgow is one of structure and safety, but it doesn't offer many opportunities for human connection. At her job of 10 years as a finance clerk, she endures snickers and sidelong glances from her coworkers because she is socially awkward and generally aloof, and her weekends are spent with copious amounts of vodka. Office IT guy Raymond Gibbons becomes a fixture in her life after they help an elderly man, Sammy Thom, when he collapses in the street. Raymond and Sammy slowly bring Eleanor out of her shell, requiring her to confront some terrible secrets from her past. Her burgeoning friendship with Raymond is realistically drawn, and, refreshingly, it doesn't lead to romance, though the lonely Eleanor yearns for love. Debut author Honeyman expertly captures a woman whose inner pain is excruciating and whose face and heart are scarred, but who still holds the capacity to love and be loved. Eleanor's story will move readers.
School Library Journal Reviews
Office worker Eleanor adheres to a strict routine that has insulated her from the memories of her traumatic childhood but has not shielded her from loneliness. But after she meets Raymond, she attempts to rediscover her memories and in the process learns how relationships (including those with friends, lovers, and colleagues) operate and that other people can be a source of joy rather than destruction. Readers may find Eleanor odd at first but will feel compassion and root for her as she grapples with severe depression and her painful childhood. Though the novel deals with dark themes, quirky Eleanor's firm bond with Raymond and their adventures lighten the tone. Teens will be spellbound as Eleanor unravels the mystery of her past and develops a sense of self.