Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant - a very old fashioned name to go with a woman who is "frozen" somewhere in her head and can only do things in a certain way (including three nights of vodka drinking at the weekends). Which is fine, as she does not do much else. She works in an office, her colleagues find her odd; she doesn't care for them either; she's doing a repetitive job which suits her personality.... and I found myself asking the question "Asbergers?"  Something in her life has made her close down when it comes to personal relationships, and it is only when she has an IT problem and the new IT guy - laid back, badly dressed, in need of a haircut - arrives at her desk that we see that Eleanor just might be worth saving.  At this point I should point out that this is not a romance as such, although Eleanor and IT guy become close friends, mostly at his instigation.  My heart was breaking for her, and I couldn't see anyway out of her lifestyle, but then slowly, things start to change.  She was like the Ice Queen to start with, but her thaw and the revelations it brought were heartwarming.

As the book unravels, small clues are dropped and the ultimate revelation is ...... no - I won't say more for fear of spoiling your enjoyment. I enjoyed the read very much. Odd Eleanor may be, but I liked her anyway at the beginning, and a lot more at the end.

UK cover shown