Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

What goes through the mind of a truly lonely person? What does it feel like to have to live, when you really would rather not? In a world where social connections and physical appearance can make or break you, how do you cope with people’s stares and a total lack of friendships?

Every once in a while, a news report will reveal the true number of people who live lonely lives and most of us know people who at one point or another have experienced loneliness, but much like depression used to be, loneliness is today very much a taboo subject - often seen as a sign of weakness and therefore rarely a topic of conversation except in the abstract.

Enter: Eleanor Oliphant. 

A young woman with a dark past and a very predictable present. A life that follows the exact same schedule every single day, the same job, the same clothes and the same two bottles of vodka. 

“….usually, I don’t speak from the point at which I state my destination to the bus driver on Friday night, right through until I greet his colleague on Monday morning.”

Gail Honeyman’s debut novel “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” is a wonderful introduction not only to a lovable character but also to her world - a world where everything must stay very simple, very practical and very much the same. Any unexpected movements and she risks facing demons better contained safely within the confines of a regularly scheduled Wednesday afternoon telephone conversation. She has to stay strong, in control. Her password of choice....Seneca’s words: “Fire tests gold and adversity tests the brave”.

But Eleanor knows something is wrong - she knows she is lonely and the struggle between the safety of the known and the promise of unknown land her in a tug of war. 

“I took one of my hands in the other, tried to imagine what it would feel like it was another person’s hand holding mine. There have been times where I felt that I might die of loneliness. People sometimes say that they might die of boredom, that they’re dying for a cup of tea, but for me dying of loneliness is not hyperbole. When I feel like that, my head drops, and my shoulders slump and I ache, I physically ache, for human contact - I truly feel that I might tumble to the ground and pass away if someone doesn’t hold me, touch me.”

”People don’t like these facts, but I can’t help that”.

Fortunately for Eleanor, however, life refuses to be controlled and random acts of kindness force her to embark on a roller coast ride of chance encounters and risk taking her outside of the carefully set boundaries of her meticulously planned life - while stockpiling pills for a quick exit. 

“Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” may not seem like the perfect summer read, but believe me…it is! It is a heartwarming, funny and illuminating novel about the plight of so many people who live quietly among us, whose lives we don’t understand or appreciate. It is also the story of the power of parents over their children - for good and for (very) bad - and the responsibility of society to the children who need us the most. Finally, it is a novel about the wonderful unpredictability of life and how just one person can mean the difference between light and utter darkness. 

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Reviewed by our very own Luaras Morina

I first heard about Luvvie Ajayi and her debut book on “The Read” podcast, which is hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle. Unknown to me, Luvvie Ajayi is a famous blogger, pop-culture critic and comedian. I was convinced that thiswas going to be my next book and I couldn’t wait to read it.

My first impressions, when starting to read the book, were that Luvvie Ajayi is honest, funny and likeable. She made me laugh out loud. Not like a when you text “LOL” in a serious face but like a serious and uncontrollable laugh out loud.

The book is split into four parts: Life, Culture, Social Media and Fame. I was sucked into the book right away and before I knew it, I was done and left wanting more. Luvvie tells the truth in a series of essays that depict and reflect our everyday lives. From minor thoughts on people that share Facebook updates of deceased people, to the over sharing relationship fanatics that display a“Days of Our Lives” mantra, to religious fanatics and eBehaviour - Luvvie is here to judge you. Hey, she even judged me for my Instagram obsessions of #HashtaggingComplicatedSentences #SorryNotSorry

“I’m Judding You” is an easy ready with a quirky take on certain slag words that you can’t help but laugh along to. The substance in the book is an opportunity to get a better understand of today’s world. It should not be mistaken as a comedy biography but rather a serious commentary with a humorous touch.

As Luvvie says “I am not asking them [readers] to make speeches on how they have a dream. I am, however, challenging people to not stay silent as the world crumbles”.

If I were you and are looking for a late Spring-early Summer read then this is the book. I promise you that you won’t regret it. Enjoy #lifewithluaras

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Reviewed by our expert YA (Young Adult) book reviewer Natalie Kelly-Haigh. Read on and you will know why she is fast becoming an expert! Thanks Natalie!

"The Red Queen book series is the one that makes you question why you read any others. The recently published third book surrounding Mare Barrow’s life is called King’s Cage. After having finished the second book, Glass Sword, I got the impression that it was the end. And what a disappointing end that would have been. But it’s not. Mare Barrow is alive. However the lightning girl is not.

In King’s Cage, Mare is not thriving. She’s captured by her one, true enemy. The boy who has an obsession with her. The shadow of her loved one. The twisted monster Queen Elara forged from a young, innocent boy. The King of Norta. Maven Calore. Mare is no longer the lightning girl. She is a prisoner, a newblood unable to use her power with silence weighed on her nonstop. She grieves for her brother Shade, prays for her family, and dreams of the red flag belonging to Scarlet Guard. Mostly though, she longs for the flame of Cal, and the fierce eyes that once looked into hers. Cal can’t live without her. After having made his new alliances, he fights with the Scarlet Guard, as a weapon to them, and as a traitor to his people. The only thing valuable thing he owns is Mare’s heart. And nothing’s going to stop him from trying to get her back.

Without Queen Elara around, Mare feels she has gained one mercy. She can’t play mind games with Mare, or slither into her deepest thoughts. Now, Mare can play a few mind games of her own, tiptoeing into the hidden truths. Throughout her imprisonment, she finds depth to characters such as Evangeline, and sickening facts about Maven. She finds a world once again full of convincing masks and twisted lies. But hope is not gone. There is still a resistance. A dawn bigger than anyone could’ve ever imagined.

Life is no better than Mare’s first experience in a castle though. She has gone from being fake silver royalty, to Maven’s forged resemblance of a terrorist, and now to his pet, disguised as a prisoner. How is the public meant to take all of these transitions? Do all their alliances lie with Maven? Or is there a new rebellion, siding with the Scarlet Guard? And if so, is it for the same reasons? To rise as red as the dawn? Or something much, much deeper…

Mare is determined to find an escape. A crack she can squeeze out of. A mistake in a plan that she can hide behind. A way to wake up from this poisoned nightmare. Our story does not end with her escape though. There are more battle cries to shout, more dawns to rise. More love to share between her and Cal. More people to meet, including Shade’s child he shall never see. More secrets to uncover, more stories to reveal. This story shall rise. Rise as Red as the Dawn."

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Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider, reviewed by Sophia Christodoulou (age 13) Thanks Sophia!

Extraordinary Means is a read that will broaden your knowledge on what it is like to be a sick teenager. Lane lived a fairly normal life as a teenager: applying to colleges, hanging out with friends and family and working none stop to get into the best college. When he is diagnosed with tuberculosis he is sent to a sanitarium called Latham house where he is treated as though he is on vacation. He meets Sadie and her friends and learns how to operate at Latham to ensure he beats the disease and gets the most out of the ‘vacation’. As Lane and Sadie fall in love their world becomes filled with excitement and adventure. But when hope starts to occur and their group of friends start to get sicker, their worlds threaten to come crashing down.

If you have never understood what it is like for a sick teen or the challenges they go through, this book will help you get a better sense of how their lives operate and their perspective of of life as a teenager.

Extraordinary Means is written simply, with hints of humor, insight, and facts about tuberculosis. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it showed me issues that sick teens faced that I had never considered a problem. It broadened my knowledge about the consequences of tuberculosis and showed very meaningful insight about the characters. The writer's style reminded me of a John Green novel so I think if you are a man of his books you will love Extraordinary Means.

Thanks Sophia!

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