I have a very hard time finding new books, especially by modern authors. Usually the stories are utterly predictable, the characters forgettable, the dialogue unremarkable, the humor vapid, the writing wan, and the moral of the tale nonexistent. Or worse, it's a literary depiction of things best left behind closed doors solely betwixt those involved, who knew Jane Austen's heirs would stray so far from the fold, ugh! But as I was browsing through the never ending Pinterest feed, I came across a '15 hilarious books for your book club' post, not being a huge fan of book sites, for some reason I gave it a chance. I looked each one up in our virtual library app to see what they had. I had already seen the movie for the first book, and it wasn't bad. Bridget Jones made the list and I detest the movie, so I was starting to get antsy but I persisted and found a couple likely and available prospects. I checked out 'Eleanor Oliphant is Fine' and began to read. It is more than a little eerie when you are reading about a fictional person's life and all you can think is that it's your own!
That's one reason I really like the Blue Castle by LM. Montgomery, as I readily identify with its stifled little mouse of a heroine. Now there's Eleanor with her Tolkien-esque last name and the socially prescribed adjective. I like a book that can handle delicate and terrible social issues with both charity, patience, understanding, and humor without wallowing in either despair or the grotesque while still taking a swing at various overlooked social and cultural ills/trends that we either take for granted or ignore entirely. This book is heart wrenching but also gut-wrenchingly funny, with a very arch Austen sort of wit, not much really 'happens' but you can't put it down because it unfurls little by little, as a good book aught, until you are left hopeful and smiling with a tear in your eye. The characters aren't really much to look at or read about, they aren't beautiful or handsome or rich or witty, they are just everyday people with everyday tragedies struggling through an indifferent and hostile world, save the golden threads of kindness found unexpectedly in the strangest souls and oddest places. A glowing reminder that humanity has not completely lost its heart even if society has lost its head and in that we can still find hope. But we need real human interaction and relationship to do it.
As a survivor of a twisted and cruel mother who portrays the perfect parent to the world, I can say the character of Eleanor was written so well that I wonder how the author came to know so much about so forbidden a topic in a world and culture that is quick to blame the child in such an instance. My situation was hardly as horrific as Eleanor's but sadly it might be even more tragic, because no one knows what is going on, even the afflicted, few are those that escape from this dreadful sort of 'normal.' We are fine, we are fed and clothed, and we are fine, but we aren't. The despair, the self-hatred, the utter loneliness, the wish to both punish yourself for simply existing and the wish for the suffering to end makes self-harm and suicide very real dangers. The author tackled these issues with a dexterous and master hand. The overriding commentary about widespread loneliness in society and that there is something we can do about it is also a welcome voice in the wilderness. Overall a well written and well handled modern novel, well worthy of the classic writers the author obviously enjoys. Finally a modern book about what it means, at least in part, to be human!
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