Book #17: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Number of pages: 383
This is a book that I saw had been compared to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, mostly because of the character who narrates it. I could see why, though the central character also made me think of Don Tillman from Graeme Simsion's Rosie books.
The book starts off as a study in loneliness; Eleanor is a shy person, who doesn't appear to get on with her work colleagues. The fact that Eleanor possibly has asperger's syndrome though appears to influence how she thinks her colleagues see her.
Early in the book though, she makes a friend - a man named Raymond. The two of them save the life of an old man, and Eleanor and Raymond appear to have a typical "will-they-are-won't they?" relationship, hampered by two things.
First off, Eleanor seems unable to see what is right in front of her, choosing to obsess over a musician she watched, hoping that he will want to date her.
Secondly, it becomes quite clear that Raymond and the old man's daughter are falling in love with each other.
The romantic plotline doesn't exactly end the way you might expect, and it felt refreshingly original (I won't spoil what happens).
Quite early in the book, we get a hint that - despite the book's largely humourous tone - Eleanor's past is quite tragic. This becomes obvious early on when she is visited by a social worker, and we learn about her uneasy relationship with her mother, who almost seems like a monster with the way she speaks to Eleanor over the phone.
I had one theory about the truth behind the incident from Eleanor's past that changed her life forever, and it was incorrect.
The plot then took a very dark turn about two thirds of the way in, but thankfully it did have a happy ending. Later on in the book we do get to learn a few new things about Eleanor's past, one of which I guessed shortly before it was spelled out, and also a plot twist that I did not see coming at all.
This book won a Costa Book Award last year, and I can see why - one of the best books I've read this year.
Next book: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Stieg Larsson)