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

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.25

I didn’t quite know what I was in for when I started this book, but I guess it’s my fault for not checking too many reviews or synopses. It starts a little lighthearted, following a simple story of a truly unlikeable and quirky character, and then suddenly you turn a page and it’s trauma, trauma, trauma. Although I ultimately really enjoyed and appreciated this book, my main gripes came from the slow start and dialogue or situations that I found hard to believe. Setting aside the obvious that Eleanor has a tough time with social cues and suffers from PTSD (and although the author has outright said she doesn’t have autism, I think many readers and reviewers would identify her as such), some of the things she would say or situations she was in still seemed over-the-top or too unrealistic. At times she seemed more like a caricature of someone with mental illness rather than a real person. 

Overall, this is one that I didn’t love until I finished it, which made the process of reading a bit tedious, but the end result rewarding. And, spoiler, Eleanor Oliphant really isn’t completely fine. 
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