G
Gail Honeyman
Photo: © Philippa Gedge
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Synopsis
Eleanor Oliphant has her routine down to a science: the same meal-deal lunch, the same crossword, the same bottles of vodka to get her through the weekend, and a Wednesday phone call with Mummy that she dreads. She has no friends, doesn't understand social cues she considers unnecessary, and has convinced herself she's perfectly fine.
That carefully maintained isolation starts to give when she and Raymond, the scruffy IT technician from her office, help an elderly man who collapses on the pavement in front of them. Their unlikely friendship — along with a harmless celebrity crush that spirals into something more serious — begins pulling Eleanor toward people for the first time in years.
Beneath the deadpan humor of Eleanor's narration is a slower reveal of real trauma: a childhood defined by an abusive, manipulative mother and a fire that changed everything. Gail Honeyman's debut is a comic novel that turns, without much warning, into a serious one — about what loneliness does to a person, and what it takes to let someone in.
Genres
Characters
Eleanor OliphantProtagonist
A rigidly routine-bound woman whose isolation begins to crack after an act of kindness toward a stranger.
Sammy ThomSupporting
An elderly man who collapses in the street; Eleanor and Raymond's shared act of helping him is what starts pulling Eleanor toward other people.
Raymond GibbonsSupporting
An unkempt but kind IT colleague who becomes Eleanor's first real friend, prompted by their shared rescue of Sammy Thom.
Dr. Maria TempleSupporting
The therapist Eleanor begins seeing after her crisis; her sessions help Eleanor recover the truth of her childhood.
Mrs. GibbonsSupporting
Audie Award (2018)Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) (2018)British Book Award (2018)Costa Book Award (2017)Desmond Elliott Prize (2018)Goodreads Choice Award (2017)RUSA CODES Reading List (2018)
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleanor Oliphant on the autism spectrum?
The author has explicitly stated that the character is not on the autism spectrum, explaining that her social difficulties are instead the result of childhood trauma and nurture rather than nature.
What inspired the story of Eleanor Oliphant?
Gail Honeyman was inspired to write the novel after reading a newspaper article about loneliness, which led her to consider how young people can find themselves in isolated circumstances through no fault of their own.
Is there a film adaptation of this book?
A film adaptation has been in development by Hello Sunshine and MGM, with a script written by Georgia Pritchett and Harry Bradbeer attached to direct, though no release date has been confirmed.