Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the debut novel written by Scottish author Gail Honeyman, and was first published in 2017 by HarperCollins. It was the recipient of the Costa Debut Novel Award in 2017.
The book follows finance clerk, Eleanor Oliphant, a socially awkward young woman approaching her thirties. She suffers from the childhood trauma of her past, which she avoids talking about and suppresses through drinking alcohol. Like many addicts, Eleanor denies the fact that she has a drinking problem, often preferring to cast blame on others. This is partially why she has no friends and her colleagues do not like her.
However, when Raymond comes along it is clear that this makes all the difference to Eleanor’s life. He is a true friend to her and realizes that she needs mental health help. Instead of avoiding her or treating her differently because of her obvious differences, he takes the time to get to know her and help her recover from her traumatic ordeals. The theme of mental health talks prominence in this book as it states that with appropriate help, people can change the course of their lives.
