A review by s_derksen
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I feel like Eleanor's character is close to a certain type of capitalist emo teenager's dream: "I am X, I excel in school, I'm nerdy, I'm extremely organised and productive, I own/wear/eat this and that, I like to have control over my life, I am quirky in many ways, I analyse others to the point where they seem weird or bad, I'm intelligent and talented but misunderstood so I have few friends, sometimes it's as if the world's against me, here comes the bad guy (cue the demonized hyperfeminine character)' etc. That part seems to drag on and on for me. However, I love the therapy session at the end. The author has a flair for drama though. ("I.. I didn't realise children are supposed to be loved..!)" A bit exaggerated for a supposedly highly intelligent character who has been around loved children in many foster homes and schools, and who reads fiction- you can't just miss the whole concept of children being cared for. Heard friends say they thought the mother was a hallucination, that was very interesting.
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