Book Journey:
Elenor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
(Book Cover)
Why this book?
to be filled up later
Thoughts on Title, Author & Cover:
Title:
For some reason, I keep mistaking 'Oliphant' for 'Elephant'. Haha!
So, I guess this book is about a girl named Eleanor Oliphant who is probably in her late 20s or early 30s. Judging by the 'Completely Fine' part of the title, I feel that the plot would be about the hardships that she faces in her life. You know, when people usually say they're 'Fine', it simply means that they're going through hell but instead choose to say that they are doing good rather than talk about the million things that are troubling them. I do that a lot. I can't guess which aspect of her life is serving a big headache for her. But it must definitely be her career or love life or both.
Cover:
Personally, I hate the yellow color. I dislike stuff that is yellowish. But this cover is an exception. (Yeah, I can't believe that I actually like it)
Burnt match sticks are arranged in the form of a house, inside of which is the title.
Haha. I don't know if this is a coincidence but take a look at this meme for yourself and let me know whether it is relevant to this book. I find it to be very apt.
A burning house, the dog saying 'This Is Fine'.
I'm picturing Eleanor in that place. The whole world around her is crumbling down and there she sits, in the midst of all that hullaballoo nonchalantly, as if it's 'just another day' of her life.
It says on the back of the cover that it has won the following awards:
- Costa First Novel Award
- British Book Awards Book Of The Year
- Specsavers National Book Awards - Popular Fiction
Ahh, I can't lie. Reading and typing out the above actually piqued my interest a bit. My expectation levels just bumped up a notch. I got to calm myself and open the book with little or zero expectations.
Author:
Nope. I have never heard of Gail Honeyman nor have I read his other books. But his name reminds me of another author - Gayle Forman who wrote the 'If I Stay' series.
Journey Info:
Totally there are 41 chapters.
After every 5 chapters, I'll share my thoughts, opinions, and feelings about them here. Of course, I will try my best to make sure I don't divulge critical moments or anything that would spoil your reading experience.
So, below are the stuff that I've inferred from each part of the book.
Part 1: Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 (Page 1 to Page 49)
- The book started off on a positive note with a lovely excerpt about loneliness from Olivia Lang's The Lonely City. That little piece beautifully encapsulated how loneliness actually feels like.
- The story is narrated from the perspective of Eleanor Oliphant who is working as a Finance Clerk (Back office work) for a Graphic Designing team.
- It didn't take long for me to find out that she is an introverted person. Her actions, thought process, everyday life etc, were synonymous with that of mine. She has a tightly knit circle, although I can't really call that a circle because I haven't yet seen her interact with her friends so far. She is quiet, calm and reserved. She keeps to herself all the time. So basically, she possesses all those qualities as that of a typical introvert. An Introvert myself, I could relate to her on a deeper level. For instance, the insecurities that weigh her down, fear of social interactions, etc.
- The relationship with her mother is pretty strained. Although she hasn't revealed too much about it, the brief interactions that took place between the two were enough to suggest that they were not on pretty good terms. Eleanor is the kind of person who doesn't really open up straightaway and flood you with her thoughts and feelings but rather the one who speaks in a calculated manner when it comes to sharing information about personal life.
- I don't think it's fair to say that she is eccentric because introverts often have these unique quirks that set them apart from the rest of the pack. No wonder the extrovert dominated workspace push them off just cuz they don't seem to 'fit in' or don't fall in line with their definition of 'normal'. (Personal Experience speaking)
- And at last, like a bright ray of sunshine filtering through the dark clouds, there appears a glimmer of hope in Eleanor's life in the form of a guy who finds a special place in her heart. The question is, will she find a place in his heart? The answer to which is held by the rest of the pages of the book.
Starting to understand Eleanor better after every passing chapter. Definitely interesting and entertaining. Love her perspectives about life and the remark she made about 'Beautiful People' was simply amazing.
I can't help but share that quote with you here. If you don't want to read it now, you can simply skip it and go on to read Part 2 of the Book Journey.
Spoiler Alert :
"I feel sorry for Beautiful People. Beauty, from the moment you possess it, already slipping away, ephemeral. That must be difficult. Always having to prove that there's more to you, wanting people to see beneath the surface, to be loved for yourself, and not your stunning body, sparkling eyes or thick, lustrous hair."
- Eleanor Oliphant
So that's it for part one. I'll continue to read the book until the end of chapter 10. So the next stop is on page 114. Roughly 60 more pages from where I am now.
Part 2: Chapter 5 to Chapter 10 (Page 50 to Page 114)
