2025 Reading Challenge discussion

As far as the crush goes (view spoiler)[ I can see her being turned off when he did those juvenile things. I don't think it is so weird that she had a crush either. I think if you're that lonely you could tend to have a crush and stalk someone like that. I mean obviously you'd be a little not right but people do it.

I see the point about the therapist now but I also think that Eleanor expected her to fix everything within an hour. (hide spoiler)]

@Joan
(view spoiler)[I agree. Esp about the therapist. Maybe Eleanor expected a little too much. (hide spoiler)]

Ilona wrote: "I finished it! I liked it, but found that it was a bit repetitive at some point. [spoilers removed]"

Yes I thought so too, so was positively surprised by that twist!

Hannah wrote: "That's funny because I found her so hilarious and kind of fell in love with her. Her social cluelessness and the candid remarks she came out with that accompanied this trait were at most times so funny but often I even related to them.

I'm not positive where you are up to now but when she talks about (view spoiler)"

Hahaha, yes I just truly loved her comments/thoughts 😂

Joan wrote: "I thought this book had a lot of dimension to it. I wasn't originally interested in reading it because I thought it was a chick-lit book and I tend to not like them. Although I have thought about g..."

I agree. It didn't feel like a heavy read because of the way it was written, but the topic is quite heavy and serious. I am wondering though how it is possible that Eleanor didn't have any help as a child (or at least none that was mentioned in the book). I think she's very damaged as a result of everything she went through and (view spoiler)[the progress she made during therapy just didn't seem plausible to me. I mean, I work with children and parents like this, it's just not that easy (hide spoiler)],

Taking this into consideration and the other details I'm having trouble with believing, are making me reconsidering my rating... Have to think on that a bit more....

Eirelyn wrote: "

I was thinking that Mummy did ask [spoilers removed]"

No you're not making it up lol, but that was on another day, that's why I had expected her to say something like that again.

But now we know why she didn't....

Kristin wrote: "spoiler removed:

(view spoiler)[I agree with what was said above that the therapist was either very irresponsible, bringing up traumatic events at the end of the session, or Eleanor was being an unreliable narrator.

Ah yes, the unreliable narrator. I must admit I feel like a newbie reading, not taking this into account lol (I always believe what the narrator is telling us....). That seems plausible. On the other hand there are quite a few details that made me wonder if the writer did any research on trauma, mental illnesses, therapy etc. But that may be just my professional deformation (I don't know if that's a word in English, just translated it directly from Dutch lol).

RE: the crush, I was so happy to have it end. I thought it was bizarre and annoying. In retrospect, the author did wrap that up pretty quickly, but I couldn't have it be over too soon so I guess I didn't mind! I thought it was strange how she over-researched so many things, but then failed to research pretty important things like the type of bikini wax she wanted or the music venue and the death metal band she went to see. The latter was hilarious, though, and I may have literally laughed out loud while reading it.

Yes, you're right....that's not very consistent.
It was hilarious. I laughed out loud a couple of times during the book :)

My favorite part of the book was how Eleanor started to notice little things that made her happy, and she began to take pleasure little acts of kindness given or received. I noticed that some of this carried over into my real life, where I started to notice and appreciate the little things, and I have been making a little more effort to connect with people in my community. It has felt very nice, not surprisingly, but I guess I needed the reminder.

Well, from the interview at the end of the edition I read, I know that that was exactly what the writer intended!
So now is the question: how will we keeping reminding ourselves, how will we prevent losing that feeling again?

I also really love the platonic relationship between Raymond and Eleanor, even though it seems the author is setting it up for a potential romance if she writes a sequel. I was surprised that Raymond would want to befriend Eleanor in the beginning, but I guess he was able to see something in her that I missed in the beginning.

Well, at first I thought Eleanor had a disorder in the autism spectrum. Although certainly not all, a lot of males with some form of autism work in IT. So I had made the connection that both would have some form of autism lol

Another aspect I really liked about the book was that it showed how much of Eleanor's life was really Mummy living through her. ... I think her style from her clothes to those apartment furnishings represented that she was still a scared child trapped in time. ..."

Yes I agree. That's why it sometimes felt like she was a grown woman with at times the mind of a young child.
(hide spoiler)]

Jen from Quebec :0) wrote: "Eleanor Oliphant reminded me SO much of a horror novella by Ania Ahlborn called The Pretty Ones The Pretty Ones by Ania Ahlborn !! Same type of MC- a women with unhealthy ties to a mysterious past life with her mummy + sibling, an office full of judgmental co-workers, one person who reaches out to be a friend, the past slowly being revealed bit by bit, etc etc. They were so similar (except for the killings and gory bits in the Ahlborn horror story) that I actually looked to see if Ania Ahlborn had not written Eleanor Oliphant herself, under a pen name!! So, if you can stand a bit of horror, check out 'The Pretty Ones' and send me a msg about what you think! ---Jen from Quebec :0)"

Sounds very interesting. Added it to my TBR though at this point I don't know when I will be reading it (I have over 2000 books I want to read lol)

Joan wrote: "As far as the crush goes ..."

Yes, except (view spoiler)[the revelation came before his juvenile actions, it was linked purely to his not looking at her. I'm sorry, I just don't believe it. Our mind does everything to keep the illusion (whichever one) going, it's a defence mechanism, protecting us from break downs like she had. Only confronted with something very big, does the illusion break.
I don't think it weird she had a crush. I even believe it was a "cognitive crush" not an emotional one if you know what I mean. Mummy would approve of her having a husband. Plus she hoped her husband would help her deal with Mummy. So all the ingredients were there.

I agree about the therapist : Eleanor's unrealistic expectations combined with the very likely probability that she's an unreliable narrator make that very likely. (hide spoiler)]

I loved the Mummy-ending. (view spoiler)[At first I was a bit underwhelmed: a phone call, that's it?? But the end completely made up for that.
I'm with you Aqsa, when I read about her dying in the fire, I re-read it a couple of times, like my mind needed time to integrate that piece of information lol. It just couldn't be right, could it? (hide spoiler)]

I loved the writer's message (my edition had an interview at the end): the importance of enjoying the small things in life and our tiny acts of kindness towards other people.

There was a statement or a question which made me think and I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on it:

Is knowing always better than not knowing?