“There are scars on my heart, just as disfiguring, as thick 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.”
How many books have you read, which makes loneliness its central theme? Tell me about a book, a mainstream book nevertheless, which makes an unusual, lonely, scarred young woman — its main protagonist.
This book does exactly that and much, much more. Eleanor Oliphant has a job. She has a steady routine:
Go to work. Work hard for five days. Buy two bottles of Vodka on Fridays. And talk to her oddball Mom on Wednesdays.
Eleanor has no friends. No boyfriend. And, she is besotted with a pop star, whom she stalks online and later offline as well.
She is weird. Quite obviously not a smooth talker, is witty and takes pride in minding her business. And, and (here is what makes the book a standout) she is incredibly, immeasurably, undeniably lonely.
So what happens to this incredibly ordinary woman, you would ignore and never pay attention to, even in passing? Does kindness and love find a way to reach her and heal the scars, she is trying so hard to hide? Well, read the book, if you haven’t already to find out. Trust me you won’t regret it.
There must be a reason why Reese Witterspoon decides on buying the rights to the book and co-produces it too.
Eleanor Oliphant’s (this is not her real name though) story is worth every penny and page. A tale of acute loneliness, it made me weep inconsolably. This is writing at its ingenuous best. I must confess on days, I had to discard the book — it was akin to staring too hard in the mirror.
In Hindsight…
Hits:
- The hidden humor.
- Detailed exploration of loneliness.
- Eleanor’s dedication to her job. Despite everything and everyone.
- The little, little things that bring us joy. And that has been highlighted so well in this book.
Misses:
- Why, oh why, did the book have to end?
- What happens to Eleanor? Give us a sequel, please.
Her Secret Blue Book 