Hello guys! I am so incredibly sorry for my week’s delay in writing this blog post. I am back and recharged, and thrilled at all the novelties I have in store for you!
I hope you’re all enjoying reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I know I certainly am! When I announced this book, I suggested that everyone read up to chapter 20 by the 17th of June. Although that date has passed, and I can imagine many of you have already read ahead by now, here are my 5 questions for you to think about, covering the first half of the book…
Questions
- Do you enjoy the author’s decision of telling the story from Eleanor’s point of view? What do you think this adds to the narration?
- The author keeps giving hints of what accident Eleanor has been involved in. Do you have any idea on what might have actually happened?
- What do you think is at the root of Eleanor’s sketchy relationship with her mom?
- Do you think Eleanor is actually going to actively pursue Johnnie Lomond?
- What do you think about Raymond’s character? Do you think he is just a good friend to Eleanor? Or do you see potential there for something more…?
My Answers
- I personally really enjoy the author’s decision of having Eleanor narrating the events in first person. It brings such a freshness and edginess to the plot, that simply wouldn’t have been there were the story be told in third person. Eleanor is a smart and brilliant woman, but she has no awareness of what conventional social interactions entice. She questions everything with crisp logic. That makes her unique and quirky, but at the same time extremely endearing to the readers.
- Although it’s hard to tell what really happened to Eleanor, and how she ended up getting her scar, I start believing she might have actually been the unintentional culprit of a fire that got her house burnt, and possibly her sibling killed. Please don’t ask me how I jumped to this conclusion, because I honestly wouldn’t be able to say at this point…but I just have this very strong gut feeling. Does anyone else believe something similar might have happened?
- Again, the narrator hasn’t given us much detail on this topic so far. I’m prone to believe that Eleanor’s mom has either had serious drinking problems, or serious substance abuse problems in her past. This could have brought her to seriously neglect her child (or children), and consequently might have led to the terrible accident Eleanor was involved in. But again, this is just speculation.
- Something inside me, tells me that Eleanor will actually never meet Johnnie. Or if she will, it could potentially be the greatest disappointment of her life. I think that Johnnie Lomond is only used in this story as a means for Eleanor to step outside her shell and start exploring herself, her feelings and the world around her.
- I think that Raymond will turn out to be the most incredible of guys. Although I am not sure him and Eleanor are considering each other as potential romantic partners just yet, I truly believe we will see some interesting developments in that direction soon.
Now it’s your turn! What are your answers to the questions above?
Leave your responses below, and keep an eye out here for my announcement on when our 6th Instagram Live Book Club Chat will take place. In the meantime, keep reading!
I look forwards to checking your answers!
Have a lovely day!
Love,
Elly, XO
PS: You can get your copy of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine here.
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