Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

 

It's not always that you find a book that mixes sadness and humor to good effect. However, Gail Honeyman's work - 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' is that rare exception that fits the mold. It's has a very unglamorous take on depression, but that is what makes it so real.

Sadness isn't fashionable, despite what the movies might suggest. It's not beautiful, it's not charming. Its bittersweet image is a fraud; sadness is entirely bitter and not even remotely sweet.

Eleanor Oliphant, as you might have guessed, is not at all fine, even though that is what she claims to be. Isn't that how we all face sadness? We completely deny its existence, we fight the tears when they need to be shed. We often refuse to deal with the darkness, seeking momentary distraction instead. We often fight a lonely battle in the confines of our hearts, gasping for air even as we sink deeper and deeper.

Sadly, the journey from sadness to normal isn't a simple affair. It takes time, days, months, years even, before you can actually be fine. It takes massive efforts, from yourself and from people who hold you close. It takes courage, belief, and also the ability to forgive yourself.

In the end, this is what Miss Oliphant learns and shows us, in her own, unique way. She stumbles and falls, goes on a detour, and wades through a range of emotions before it dawns on her that she might not be fine. That she is not remotely fine. That it is okay to not be fine, to be broken, to be damaged. It is this realization, more than anything else, that perhaps helps her see things a lot clearer.

Her journey, full of ups and downs and false dawns, has a lot of resemblance with life. Life is never a straight road, never a perfect journey. Life is miserable. Life is rude. But life is also the hope of dawn at the end of a melancholy night.

Gail Honeyman expertly manages to mix emotions and comedy, which makes this journey so enjoyable. Despite its raw take on depression, ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ comes across as a terrific read, refreshingly funny yet hauntingly sad. 

It also correctly points out that depression is best dealt with not by drugs or alcohol, but in the company of compassionate friends.