Elanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Grip Factor: 3.5
Writing Style: 4
Engaging Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Satisfying End: 4
A mother is supposed to be the biggest backbone for her child, be responsible for his/her behavior, attitude, manners, present and future. What if a mother is hell bent on destroying her own child. It leads to a child with severely broken relationships and broken outlook towards the world.
This book actually makes me sad and my heart breaks from the simple thought of anyone suffering so much at the hands of their own parent. It highlights certain important points and serious issues in the society and I would certainly like to applaud the writer on the same. The character of Elanor Oliphant is strong given the situations. She has a good hold on her life as far as office is concerned and is able to carry out her own tasks with ease. She does lack social skills and is blunt but that is not necessarily a flaw. Something happened in the life of Elanor which left a scar not only her face but also her internal self changing her whole perspective for things.
The flow of the book however could have been better. We could easily put the pieces together in the very beginning. Towards the end when we actually start knowing the truth around what happened, it does not come as a surprise as that is something which one can infer from the various events in story. The thing that I liked the most in the book is it contained all emotions - Shock of events in her life, sadness that is brought in her life, humor that is brought with her attitude towards life. Had I been narrating this story, I would be in no way able to bring any humor at any point. While you are reading you will cry as well as laugh during Elanor's journey.
There are certain characters which actually stay with you and Elanor is such a character. I finished this book some time back and still think about her even though the next one I am reading is a love story.
