ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeycut

We had a nice gathering yesterday to discuss Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

Overall the book received rave reviews, 4.75-5.0, with the exception of one 3.0. 

We could hardly believe that this is a debut effort. Gail Honeyman created several lovable and relatable characters, particularly Eleanor Oliphant and Raymond Gibbons. It is immediately evident that Eleanor is NOT “completely fine”.  Why do we say “fine" when asked how we are, as in the snarky response to a loved one or an answer to a waiter in a restaurant about our substandard meal?  The title alone clues the reader into the premise that not everything is as it seems.  

Based on her inept social skills, we assume that Eleanor is on the autism spectrum.  She has had a traumatic childhood, the extent to which we are unaware until well into the book.  Her unfiltered comments, actions and life observations are beyond hilarious, but her lonely existence is quite sad.  Eleanor has accepted her life as it is, until she meets Raymond.  

Raymond is kind, patient, and genuine.  He is so unpretentious and warm, without being sanctimonious or overbearing. He is the kind of friend we should all aspire to be, and the kind of friend we would all be lucky to have. 

But this is far beyond a syrupy love story.  It is not about how Eleanor just needed a boyfriend to fix all her problems.  This book will make you laugh, cry, feel anger towards the cruel world that Eleanor must face, and be deeply touched by the kindness of others.  Lastly, it will cause you to take pause in your own preconceived ideas, reminding yourself to not judge a book by its cover.  

THE FORGETTING TIME by Sharon Guskin

Overall, we all enjoyed the book giving it an average rating of 3.5.  The ratings reflect more about the concept of reincarnation than the writing style. The author's research for this novel was taken from books written by a Professor who researched reincarnation for nearly forty years.  We found the story both, intriguing and compelling but, her addition of sections taken from the research was completely fascinating. 

So, personally, I didn't think the beginning about Janie on vacation and having a brief encounter with the sperm donor was particularly interesting although, she did tie it in to the end of the book. One of us didn't find Jerry Anderson's (the researcher) story particularly compelling but, for the most part the rest of us actually liked the addition of his story to the book. In the end he had a really nice connection to Janie and Noah although, sadly, he wouldn't be able to remember them by the end. Also, him walking into the surf was an interesting way chosen to end one's life. Noah's life began on a beach, while Jerry's would end there....

We all sympathized with Janie as a single mother and her struggle to find out what is wrong with her son, all the while trying to hold it together emotionally, mentally, and financially. Especially after he's been given a possible diagnosis of being schizophrenic. We all agreed that would be a far worse diagnosis than someone else's soul possessing ones body for a short period of time!   

We loved that the spirit within Noah was that of an African American boy, Tommy. We didn't see that coming and thought it was really clever. Denise and her oldest son Charlie were great character's and their story was both very entertaining, when they meet a small white boy who claims to be Tommy and then, unfortunately, completely tragic because of their loss, grief and guilt that they have had to go through during Tommy's disappearance. Personally, one of my favorite scenes in the book was when Charlie and Noah are in the tree house; the other was when Noah wanted Denise to give him a bath.  I thought both of these moments were both, well written and, intimate. It was essential that Denise and Charlie came to the realization that, indeed,Tommy was really there within Noah and, it helped give them closure on Tommy's death, which they both so desperately needed.

Although, it was a good effort for a first novel, collectively, we all agreed the writing was fairly average and at times "clunky".