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

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It took me a couple of chapters to adjust to Eleanor and her narration but once I did, I loved her so much. I spent the best part of the book wanting to give her a cuddle. She felt so real and the way trauma and mental health was written about was fantastic. My main gripe is that

the counselling process goes a lot more smoothly and quickly than you’d typically expect for someone living with such trauma and so her recovery felt much more unrealistic than the rest of the book. I get the feeling that this was done to provide a more uplifting tone for the final 20% of the book which to be fair, came as a bit of a relief after the climax. 

I loved that as Eleanor developed as a character, the narration style itself changed - it made me feel so immersed in her thoughts and perspective.

Loved the Jane Eyre references. One of the few books that has ever made me properly laugh out loud. Could have done without some of the ‘not like the other girls’ things that Raymond would say. 

Not always an easy read because of the subject matter, but I’m so glad I got round to reading this!