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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
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 Local DescriptionWith a title so emphatically sure of itself, you know that something is up and you are curious to find out what. Gail Honeyman’s debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, draws you in immediately. You meet Eleanor - an unusual woman in her thirties who lives alone works in an office (the same place she’s been since she finished university), and follows her own particular set of rules which result in an austere, simple life devoid of indulgence or frivolities, friends or family. As we travel alongside Eleanor, some peculiarities come to our attention: she drinks cheap vodka from Friday night until work on Monday and has a weekly call from Mummy on a Wednesday - an event that fills her with increasing discomfort. What starts as a quirky, amusing tale about an oddity becomes more endearing as Eleanor Oliphant becomes besotted with a musician, someone the reader sees clearly for what he is, but poor Eleanor is blind to. Yet this obsession is the making of her: as she plans her fantasy relationship she inadvertently becomes connected with the world around her. This is helped by a coincidental incident where she, along with her workmate Raymond, help an elderly man who has collapsed in the street. This incident leads to a budding friendship with Raymond, an unusual situation for Eleanor, who has never had a friend. As the story goes along, we begin to build a clearer picture of our heroine. Her childhood in foster homes, her contact with social workers, and her horrendous mother. The first part of this novel is called Good Days and we sense that Eleanor is running from something, living in a bubble to protect herself from a past that is haunting her. Honeyman keeps the tone light in this part, with gags, most visited upon and by Eleanor with her odd behaviour and often inappropriate remarks. The final third is the Bad Days, where Eleanor’s fantasy world has crumbled and the influence of Mummy looks as if it might destroy her. But Eleanor Oliphant (not her real name) is made of sterner stuff and while the reveal at the end is a shocker, this novel is ultimately a charmer (even when dealing with the damaging consequences of a disturbing childhood) which embraces the life-affirming power of friendship and care.
{STELLA} DescriptionSoon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon. Named a New York Times 2017 "Books to Breeze Through This Summer" Winner of the 2018 Costa First Novel Award Longlisted for the 2018 Women's Prize for Fiction No one's ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond's big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repairing her own profoundly damaged one. And if she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship--and even love--after all. Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open your heart. AwardsCOSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD WINNER 2017 Reviews'A truly original literary creation: funny, touching and unpredictable. Her journey out of the shadows is expertly woven and absolutely gripping' Jojo Moyes 'Deft, compassionate and moving' Paula McLain 'I adored it. Skilled, perceptive, Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. An outstanding debut!' Joanna Cannon 'A truly original voice and so good on loneliness: I sobbed and sobbed' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Warm and funny, moving and deeply original, Eleanor Oliphant is completely marvellous' Gavin Extence 'I fell in love with this old fashioned women living in the modern world... Impeccable' Dawn O'Porter 'So powerful - I completely loved Eleanor Oliphant' Fiona Barton 'Heartbreaking' Bryony Gordon 'Delightful, dark and moving' Sarah Pinborough 'Warm, quirky and fun, with a real poignancy underneath' Julie Cohen 'A stunning debut! I laughed, wept and reflected' Lucy Clarke, THE SEA SISTERS 'Dark, funny and brave' Ali Land, GOOD ME BAD ME 'As perceptive and wise as it is funny and endearing... Warm, funny and thought-provoking' OBSERVER 'An absolute joy, laugh-out-loud funny but deeply moving' DAILY EXPRESS Author descriptionInspired by classic heroines of 19th century literature, Gail Honeyman was writing her debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, when the opening chapters were shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress. She has also been awarded the Scottish Book Trust's Next Chapter Award 2014, and was longlisted for BBC Radio 4's Opening Lines, and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. Gail lives in Glasgow. |
