Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Author: Gail Honeyman
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 1 out of 5
Pages: 325
Date Started: 8 December 2023
Date Finished: 31 December 2023

"Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" introduces us to a protagonist navigating life with unique social challenges, offering a glimpse into her meticulously organized yet isolated world. Eleanor’s encounters with Raymond and their unexpected friendship, along with the rescue of Sammy, an elderly man, form the crux of the narrative.

However, despite the promising premise, the book falls short of expectations. It meanders through Eleanor's life without substantial progression, leaving the reader wanting more. The portrayal of overcoming deep-seated issues like childhood trauma, abandonment, and abuse lacks depth and realism, glossing over these complexities.

Moreover, Eleanor's blunt honesty often comes off as rudeness, which contradicts the initial impression of her 'speaking her mind.' This inconsistency in character portrayal detracts from the story's authenticity.

The book fails to live up to the hype, offering a narrative that feels stagnant and lacking in significant development. While the potential for an engaging storyline exists, the execution ultimately disappoints, leaving it feeling like just another unremarkable read.

Favorite lines from the book:

• Sometimes you simply needed someone kind to sit with you while you dealt with things.
• If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn't spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.
• Although it’s good to try new things and to keep an open mind, it’s also extremely important to stay true to who you really are.
• In the end, what matters is this: I survived.
• I have been waiting for death all my life. I do not mean that I actively wish to die, just that I do not really want to be alive. 
• Some people, weak people, fear solitude. What they fail to understand is that you don't need anyone, you can take care of yourself.

Everything I Never Told You

Author: Celeste Ng
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5
Pages: 297
Date Started: 30 November 2023
Date Finished: 6 December 2023

Celeste Ng's "Everything I Never Told You" masterfully delves into the intricate lives of a Chinese American family in 1970s small-town Ohio, unraveling a poignant narrative that explores the profound impact of parental expectations, secrets, and the strains of understanding among family members.

The heart-wrenching tale opens with the tragic death of sixteen-year-old Lydia, the cherished middle child of Marilyn and James Lee, whose mixed-race background shapes their family's experiences and interactions within their community. Race intricately weaves through the storyline, adding depth to the characters' struggles.

The book meticulously examines the consequences of parental aspirations and inadvertent neglect on their children's lives. It illuminates how the parents' unfulfilled ambitions profoundly affect their offspring, painting a vivid picture of the resulting behavioral patterns and emotional turmoil faced by each family member.

However, the novel isn't without its unsettling moments. Nathan's passion for astronomy is ridiculed by James, which is a stark display of parental insensitivity. Furthermore, the infidelity of James and Marilyn's temporary abandonment of her family amid frustration are disconcerting elements that add to the complexity of their characters.

Hannah, the younger sister, is a poignant yet overlooked figure throughout the narrative, almost fading into the background, highlighting the pervasive sense of neglect within the family dynamics.

While the exploration of familial complexities is gripping, the resolution of Lydia's death feels somewhat lacking. The denouement could have heightened the mystery or provided a more captivating resolution instead of presenting it as just another incident.

"Everything I Never Told You" is a compelling portrayal of family intricacies, maternal and paternal aspirations, and the enduring struggle to comprehend one another. Celeste Ng masterfully navigates the delicate balance between love and unintended consequences, weaving a narrative that resonates long after the final page.

Favorite lines from the book:

• Before that she hadn’t realized how fragile happiness was, how if you were careless, you could knock it over and shatter it
• What made something precious? Losing it and finding it.
• You never got what you wanted; you just learned to get by without it.
• People decide what you're like before they even get to know you.
• At least I know who I am. What I want.
• If her mother ever came back home an told her to finish her milk, she thought, the page wavering blur, she would finish her milk. She would brush her teeth without being asked an stopped crying when the doctor gave her shots. She would go to sleep the second her mother turned out the light. She would never get sick again. She would do everything her mother told her. Everything her mother wanted.