What Does "Fine" Mean?
Despite the misleading title of the novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Eleanor is not in fact fine. This best-selling deput novel by Gail Honeyman follows the daily life of Eleanor Oliphant, a thirty-old woman who holds a somewhat boring job in an office and who also leads a very, very lonely life. So lonely in fact that she goes days without talking to people, can count on one hand the number of times she has entered another person's house in the last ten years, and leads her life based on routines. Get up, go to work, come home, read a book, eat pasta with pesto or frozen pizza, and drink a glass (or more) of Vodka.
Although the exposition of Eleanor's past is delayed to much later in the book - Honeyman only meticulously providing subtle hints - the reader can sense that something is afoot - or rather was afoot. The repetition of the word "fire" and the scars on one side of Eleanor's face lead the reader to believe that she survived a horrific accident in her childhood. Her weekly conversations with her mean and manipulative mother suggest that her craziness started this fire and the vague use of "we" implies that Eleanor and her mother were not the only ones involved in the accident.
However, trying to solve the mystery of Eleanor's past is put on the back burner for the reader who cannot help but shift their focus to the budding relationship between Eleanor and Raymond, the IT assistant in the office that Eleanor works in. Eleanor, who speaks her mind - Honeyman's brilliant writing of her personality resulting in many laughs throughout the novel - and refuses to give into the absurdities of life trends and phrases, subsequently has few friends - whether she would want her judgemental, shallow co-workers to even be her friends is another question. Nonetheless, after saving an old man - Sammy - after he collapses suddenly in the middle of the road, Eleanor and Raymond continue to find excuses to see each other and slowly become friends: Raymond accepting Eleanor's "unconventional" ways and Eleanor putting up with Raymond's eating manners and sense o fashion.
While some may assume their friendship will become a romantic one - although it is somewhat implied that this is the future of their relationship at the very end of the novel - such is not the case as Eleanor finds her self developing an intense crush on a musician she sees perform one night. Here we see modern technology and stalking take shape in the novel as Eleanor takes time almost every day to obsess over the musician's various social media accounts and to meticulously plan her makeover in time for when they finally meet. However, they never do meet and Eleanor's realization that they never will and the frivolity of her crush results in a mental breakdown that almost results in her taking her own life. Fortunately, she has a friend who saves her life, like all true friends do.
Raymond takes care of Eleanor and gives her a stray cat that his mother and him found who has, like Eleanor, survived a fire. Naturally, their human-cat relationship takes off and the reader finds themselves hitting their head exclaiming: "of course she needs a cat!" It is amazing how the bond between a human and an animal can make such a healthy impact on both of their lives (speaking from experience).
After this breakdown Eleanor begins to go to a therapist and is treated for depression - mental illness becoming a key motif in this novel. Eleanor and the reader slowly discover the truth of her past and the truth that Eleanor can have a brighter future, a future which once seemed impossible now seems possible.
I have read one inspiring book after the other in the recent months and Eleanor Oliphant is no exception. Each night I looked forward to reading it before going to bed, unable to put it down and finding ways throughout my day to fit in a few treasured pages of Eleanor's "completely fine" life.
On a more personal note this book meant so much to me for so many reasons. I have recently come across several articles in magazines and newspapers about loneliness and how it can have a negative impact on one's life. Of course there is a spectrum of loneliness, but even feeling the slightest bit can plummet your self-esteem, motivation, and overall sense of self.
In my second semester of college I experienced the pains of loneliness to such an extent that my homesickness brought more home several times over the course of the semester, I doubted what I wanted to do with my life, whether I was at the right college, and that age old question of who am I. I went through a similar "existential crisis" in my sophomore year of high school which resulted in me making relatively drastic changes in my life - changing dance schools and friend groups and quitting the tennis team. But all of these decisions improved my wellbeing and my junior year of high school was my favorite year of high school. So, I was no stranger to these feelings, but for some reason it consumed by body to such an extent it was hard to cope and I knew I needed to make some changes. One being that I pushed myself to take the opportunity to study abroad in Perugia for six-weeks. This life changing experience did everything I needed it to do: made me become more confident and independent, break me out of my shyness shell, and reawaken my motivation and passion for learning.
I will always be shy and I will always have doubts about who I am and the life I am pursuing, but the important realization that I arrived upon was that in order to never be happy and (almost) never lonely, you need to be comfortable with yourself and know how to have fun even when you are alone. Loneliness, as painful as it may be, only makes you stronger (to reference that Kelly Clarkson song). And being strong is the only way to get through life - ask Eleanor.
P.S. I keep forgetting to take a picture of the book before I return it to my library to include in my post, so I apologize! Next time I will remember.
Although the exposition of Eleanor's past is delayed to much later in the book - Honeyman only meticulously providing subtle hints - the reader can sense that something is afoot - or rather was afoot. The repetition of the word "fire" and the scars on one side of Eleanor's face lead the reader to believe that she survived a horrific accident in her childhood. Her weekly conversations with her mean and manipulative mother suggest that her craziness started this fire and the vague use of "we" implies that Eleanor and her mother were not the only ones involved in the accident.
However, trying to solve the mystery of Eleanor's past is put on the back burner for the reader who cannot help but shift their focus to the budding relationship between Eleanor and Raymond, the IT assistant in the office that Eleanor works in. Eleanor, who speaks her mind - Honeyman's brilliant writing of her personality resulting in many laughs throughout the novel - and refuses to give into the absurdities of life trends and phrases, subsequently has few friends - whether she would want her judgemental, shallow co-workers to even be her friends is another question. Nonetheless, after saving an old man - Sammy - after he collapses suddenly in the middle of the road, Eleanor and Raymond continue to find excuses to see each other and slowly become friends: Raymond accepting Eleanor's "unconventional" ways and Eleanor putting up with Raymond's eating manners and sense o fashion.
While some may assume their friendship will become a romantic one - although it is somewhat implied that this is the future of their relationship at the very end of the novel - such is not the case as Eleanor finds her self developing an intense crush on a musician she sees perform one night. Here we see modern technology and stalking take shape in the novel as Eleanor takes time almost every day to obsess over the musician's various social media accounts and to meticulously plan her makeover in time for when they finally meet. However, they never do meet and Eleanor's realization that they never will and the frivolity of her crush results in a mental breakdown that almost results in her taking her own life. Fortunately, she has a friend who saves her life, like all true friends do.
Raymond takes care of Eleanor and gives her a stray cat that his mother and him found who has, like Eleanor, survived a fire. Naturally, their human-cat relationship takes off and the reader finds themselves hitting their head exclaiming: "of course she needs a cat!" It is amazing how the bond between a human and an animal can make such a healthy impact on both of their lives (speaking from experience).
After this breakdown Eleanor begins to go to a therapist and is treated for depression - mental illness becoming a key motif in this novel. Eleanor and the reader slowly discover the truth of her past and the truth that Eleanor can have a brighter future, a future which once seemed impossible now seems possible.
I have read one inspiring book after the other in the recent months and Eleanor Oliphant is no exception. Each night I looked forward to reading it before going to bed, unable to put it down and finding ways throughout my day to fit in a few treasured pages of Eleanor's "completely fine" life.
On a more personal note this book meant so much to me for so many reasons. I have recently come across several articles in magazines and newspapers about loneliness and how it can have a negative impact on one's life. Of course there is a spectrum of loneliness, but even feeling the slightest bit can plummet your self-esteem, motivation, and overall sense of self.
In my second semester of college I experienced the pains of loneliness to such an extent that my homesickness brought more home several times over the course of the semester, I doubted what I wanted to do with my life, whether I was at the right college, and that age old question of who am I. I went through a similar "existential crisis" in my sophomore year of high school which resulted in me making relatively drastic changes in my life - changing dance schools and friend groups and quitting the tennis team. But all of these decisions improved my wellbeing and my junior year of high school was my favorite year of high school. So, I was no stranger to these feelings, but for some reason it consumed by body to such an extent it was hard to cope and I knew I needed to make some changes. One being that I pushed myself to take the opportunity to study abroad in Perugia for six-weeks. This life changing experience did everything I needed it to do: made me become more confident and independent, break me out of my shyness shell, and reawaken my motivation and passion for learning.
I will always be shy and I will always have doubts about who I am and the life I am pursuing, but the important realization that I arrived upon was that in order to never be happy and (almost) never lonely, you need to be comfortable with yourself and know how to have fun even when you are alone. Loneliness, as painful as it may be, only makes you stronger (to reference that Kelly Clarkson song). And being strong is the only way to get through life - ask Eleanor.
P.S. I keep forgetting to take a picture of the book before I return it to my library to include in my post, so I apologize! Next time I will remember.
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