★★★★★

There are some books you enjoy. Some books you admire. And then there are books you finish, close gently, and immediately want to press into someone else’s hands.

This was one of those books.

When I turned the final page, my first thought was that I wanted to hug Eleanor. My second was that I was so grateful the story didn’t end with a sweeping romance. Instead, it ended with something far more meaningful: hope.

Without Spoilers…

When I first met Eleanor Oliphant, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I found her awkward, blunt, and—if I’m being completely honest—a little annoying.

Then I understood her.

Then I felt desperately sorry for her.

And by the end, I was rooting for her with my whole heart.

It’s rare for a character to take you on quite such a journey, not because she changes into someone else, but because your understanding of her changes. The more I learned about Eleanor, the more I realised how quick we can be to judge people whose stories we haven’t been told yet.

The Heart of the Story

The biggest surprise wasn’t a plot twist.

It was discovering just how much this novel is about kindness.

One of my favourite moments comes when Eleanor and Raymond witness a man collapse in the street. Raymond tells Eleanor to keep him talking, so she very earnestly starts discussing… his jumper. It’s funny, wonderfully awkward, and somehow exactly what he needed in that moment.

Another scene that stayed with me is when Raymond turns up at Eleanor’s flat after sensing something isn’t right. She insists she’s fine.

He replies, essentially, “I’m coming round anyway.”

No grand gestures. No dramatic speeches. Just someone quietly refusing to let another person struggle alone.

Raymond: One of My Favourite Literary Friends

Raymond might be one of my favourite fictional friends.

Not because he rescues Eleanor.

Because he shows up.

He checks in. He includes her. He laughs with her, never at her. He worries about her without making her feel like a burden.

The accidental heavy metal concert had me laughing, especially when Raymond simply shrugged and admitted he’d known she’d hate it all along. Instead of embarrassing her, he taught her something far more valuable: how to laugh at herself.

And honestly? Sometimes the greatest love story in a novel isn’t romantic at all. It’s the story of someone deciding another human being is worth checking in on.

Marginalia Highlights

If I’d been annotating every page (which, let’s be honest, I absolutely would have been), these are some of the lines I’d have highlighted:

“These days, loneliness is the new cancer—a shameful, embarrassing thing…”

“Sometimes you simply needed someone kind to sit with you while you dealt with things.”

“You can’t have too much dog in a book.”

(An annotation philosophy I fully support.)

I also adored Eleanor’s wonderfully literal observations, whether she was searching for the elusive “Bobbi Brown” in the department store or deciding Mr McDonald must be a rather foolish man because his coffee cups needed warnings that hot drinks are… well… hot.

Her humour made me laugh, but it also made me love her.

What This Book Left Me Thinking

I’ve always tried to live by a simple rule: Treat someone as though their grandmother has just died.

You don’t know whether the person in front of you is having the best day of their life or the worst. In the immortal words of Harry Styles: Treat people with kindness.

This book reminded me why that matters.

How many Eleanors do we walk past every day? People who seem awkward, abrupt, distant, or odd—not because that’s who they are, but because they’re carrying things we know nothing about.

Worth Annotating?

Without question.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a novel about loneliness, trauma, healing, friendship, found family, and the quiet courage it takes to let people love you.

Most of all, it’s a reminder that Eleanor didn’t need someone to be in love with her.

She needed someone to love her.

And that’s exactly what Raymond, his family, and Glen the cat gave her: not a fairy-tale ending, but a place to belong.

Sometimes that’s the happiest ending of all.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Worth annotating? Absolutely. Bring your highlighters, your tissues, and maybe a dog. Or a cat. Or a Raymond.