Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
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Community Reviews
Took a while to warm to this- Eleanor is like a cross between Ove and Sheldon, except completely unlikeable. Then you begin to discover there may be a very good reason for this, and she breaks down your defenses and you start to root for her. Many of of her observations were completely accurate if Iâm being honest, particularly the ones about literacy or a lack thereof. Her relationship with Raymond was cathartic and beautifully depicted. Iâve never seen a character with this great an ability to compartmentalize, and the story unfolded in the most interesting way.
As we come to the end of 2020 I was looking to read a novel that is funny and perhaps light hearted. This was definitely not it for me. I had thought Eleanor would be similar to Fredrick Backmanâs Britt-Marie and she made me laugh out loud. Eleanor on the other hand seemed like such a sad character. I also guessed the plot twists before they happened. Perhaps having a background in social work took away from this novel. I know so many people loved it.
Oddly, I guess I read this 4 years ago and rated it 4 stars, but I didn't remember it. At all. A book club I'm in chose this book to read, so I read it (apparently re-read it.). This time it made more of an impact. I guess it's a time of life thing.
Some people have mentioned autism in their reviews. Nope, I'm not an expert, but I don't think it's autism, although there's plenty in common. It's a trauma response. We do things to get through the day, or the year, or our life. By the first 50 pages you know what is going to happen. This doesn't lessen the impact; in fact, knowing that the train wreck is going to happen, and how, means you become glued to the pages. The author did that magnificently, sometimes throwing in "we" when you were expecting "I," or left out sentences that *should* have been there about answering the phone. Subtly and skillfully done with just the right number of "slip-ups" as the book went along.
It brings us to bigger issues, like how we learn to communicate with other people, the walls we put up to protect ourselves, the basic need for touch, whether it's a cat or someone washing your hair when you get it done, and the dream that some people take for granted and others never really find of having a hug from someone whom not only you love, but from someone who actually loves you. The book makes us address our own memories - about two weeks before reading the book, I had memories from the abusive marriage I'd gotten out of flood back. Sometimes we shut things out until we can deal with them, and are in a safe place, with some kind of emotional support system, even if it's just someone we can eat lunch with and not even talk about it all. So, yeah - I finished the book and lay down on my bed and sobbed.
This book also shows us the power of "you may not be able to change the world, but you can change the 6' circle around you." Without Sammie and Bob, Eleanor would have been trapped forever in her little walled-in world. Sammie has had a big effect on his own family, but he also welcomes in strangers. And Bob's loving care of his mother, and his acceptance of Eleanor as she is - he's that person who may not know that he has a bigger impact in the world, but he makes that 6' circle around him so much better, and that is always something that causes the Pay It Forward effect.
Some people have mentioned autism in their reviews. Nope, I'm not an expert, but I don't think it's autism, although there's plenty in common. It's a trauma response. We do things to get through the day, or the year, or our life. By the first 50 pages you know what is going to happen. This doesn't lessen the impact; in fact, knowing that the train wreck is going to happen, and how, means you become glued to the pages. The author did that magnificently, sometimes throwing in "we" when you were expecting "I," or left out sentences that *should* have been there about answering the phone. Subtly and skillfully done with just the right number of "slip-ups" as the book went along.
It brings us to bigger issues, like how we learn to communicate with other people, the walls we put up to protect ourselves, the basic need for touch, whether it's a cat or someone washing your hair when you get it done, and the dream that some people take for granted and others never really find of having a hug from someone whom not only you love, but from someone who actually loves you. The book makes us address our own memories - about two weeks before reading the book, I had memories from the abusive marriage I'd gotten out of flood back. Sometimes we shut things out until we can deal with them, and are in a safe place, with some kind of emotional support system, even if it's just someone we can eat lunch with and not even talk about it all. So, yeah - I finished the book and lay down on my bed and sobbed.
This book also shows us the power of "you may not be able to change the world, but you can change the 6' circle around you." Without Sammie and Bob, Eleanor would have been trapped forever in her little walled-in world. Sammie has had a big effect on his own family, but he also welcomes in strangers. And Bob's loving care of his mother, and his acceptance of Eleanor as she is - he's that person who may not know that he has a bigger impact in the world, but he makes that 6' circle around him so much better, and that is always something that causes the Pay It Forward effect.
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