Literary Fiction Annotation

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine 
by Gail Honeyman

Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication: Viking (2017)
ISBN: 9780735220683
327 Pages

Summary: 
Monday through Friday, Eleanor Oliphant works in an office, Wednesday afternoons are for chats with Mummy, and she starts each weekend with a frozen pizza and a bottle of vodka from the local store; she is completely fine with all of that. 

“If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn't spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.” 

Yet, when she sets her sights on a local musician she decides to change her lifestyle around. But it's only through a chance encounter with Raymond, her workplace's IT guy, and a elderly man, that will set Eleanor on the path to face her debilitating trauma and overcome her deep loneliness.

Personal Comments:
This is a deeply devastating book that is dressed up as a quirky, feel good, British chick-lit reminiscent of Bridget Jones Diary. In the same way that Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go serves as a 'horror,' Eleanor is an emotional tragedy--the narrator refuses to acknowledge what is truly going on. She is socially unaware and it's depressing. She makes several attempts to normalize herself (in order to be a proper woman for her idealized musician) through makeup, clothing, bikini waxing, and other various "hilarious" attempts that only highlight her social ineptitude in a way that's depressing. She is so painfully alone and I just want to hold her.

Eleanor serves as the story's narrator and she's a bit odd (rather, off). She's precise, articulate, and exact:
 “There was nothing to tempt me from the choice of desserts, so I opted instead for a coffee, which was bitter and lukewarm. Naturally, I had been about to pour it all over myself but, just in time, had read the warning printed on the paper cup, alerting me to the fact that hot liquids can cause injury. A lucky escape, Eleanor! I said to myself, laughing quietly. I began to suspect that Mr. McDonald was a very foolish man indeed, although, judging from the undiminished queue, a wealthy one.”
In several reviews, I noticed a lot of people questioning whether Eleanor is on the autism spectrum or just traumatized; I personally flipped between these two thoughts myself, ending on the traumatized side. She has repressed memories and thoughts that Honeyman will cleverly bring up in surprising ways--suddenly you'll discover that Eleanor has facial scars and a hoarse, broken voice.

The last quarter made me bawl and a coworker even approached me as I was listening to the audiobook at work to see if I was okay--I was not completely fine.

Characteristics of Literary Fiction:

• There is a lot of poetic language throughout the novel; it is oftentimes lyrically beautiful:
  “There are days when I feel so lightly connected to the earth that the threads that tether me to the planet are gossamer thin, spun sugar. A strong gust of wind could dislodge me completely, and I’d lift off and blow away, like one of those seeds in a dandelion clock. The threads tighten slightly from Monday to Friday.”
  “There are scars on my heart, just as thick, as disfiguring as those on my face. I know they’re there. I hope some undamaged tissue remains, a patch through which love can come in and flow out. I hope.” 
• Honeyman does play with several genres, as is characteristic of literary fiction. There are sections of chick-lit-esque humor with a dash of mystery.
• The emphasis is on character growth and development rather than plot with much more description from Eleanor than dialogue. 
• There is a hopeful, open-ending (with no real romance!!!!!)
  

Read Alikes:
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion