what I’m reading: eleanor oliphant is completely fine by gail honeyman.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, if you consider being an alcoholic, avoiding her coworkers, and always saying exactly what she’s thinking, fine. But after Eleanor meets Raymond, the new IT guy at her job, and they end up helping Sammy, an old man who has fallen on the sidewalk, she is slowly thrust into unfamiliar situations which make Eleanor realize that maybe she is not as fine as she thought.

Honestly, I didn’t like this book much at the beginning. I almost DNF’ed it, but since I was reading it for a book club, I continued on. I thought Eleanor was judgmental and rude. She’s kind of odd and likes her routines. Eleanor is definitely missing some social skills and I kept wondering why I was reading about this mean woman.

But then I kept reading. And the more I read, the more I liked Eleanor. She was so lonely but didn’t even know it.  She’s not judgmental; she is just parroting what her mother told her growing up. She likes routines and following the rules because that is how she was raised. The more I learned about Eleanor and her life, the more I cared for her.

There were so many funny parts in this story. The way that Eleanor went to the Bobbi Brown makeup counter and got annoyed because Ms. Brown never seemed to be at work. Also, the way that Eleanor was always commenting in her head about how ugly Raymond’s shoes were.

I loved Eleanor’s glow-up. She gets a literal makeover with new clothes and a haircut and an emotional makeover with new friends and feelings. I really liked the way that she changes throughout the book, and I loved the friendship that develops between Eleanor and Raymond and all that he does for her. The book was a difficult read at times, as it explores some disturbing and deeply traumatic events, and it definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster.

This book was such a surprise and I liked it a lot.

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