Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Gail Honeyman

      

       Copyright

      Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

      Copyright © Gail Honeyman 2017

      Cover design: Holly MacDonald © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017

      Jacket photography © Plain Picture / Hanka Steidle

      Extract of The Lonely City (2016) by Olivia Laing reproduced by permission from Canongate Books Ltd

      Gail Honeyman asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008172114

      Ebook Edition © May 2017 ISBN: 9780008172138

      Version: 2020-01-23

       Praise for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

      ‘Eleanor Oliphant is a truly original literary creation: funny, touching, and unpredictable. Her journey out of dark shadows is expertly woven and absolutely gripping’

      Jojo Moyes, Me Before You

      ‘A highly readable but beautifully written story that’s as perceptive and wise as it is funny and endearing … warm, funny and thought-provoking’

       Observer

      ‘At times dark and poignant, at others bright and blissfully funny … a story about loneliness and friendship, and a careful study of abuse, buried grief and resilience. A debut to treasure’

      Gavin Extence, The Universe Versus Alex Woods

      ‘Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is a woman scarred by profound loneliness, and the shadow of a harrowing childhood she can’t even bear to remember. Deft, compassionate and deeply moving – Honeyman’s debut will have you rooting for Eleanor with every turning page’

      Paula McClain, The Paris Wife

      ‘So powerful – I completely loved Eleanor Oliphant’

      Fiona Barton, The Widow

      ‘An absolute joy, laugh-out-loud funny but deeply moving’

       Daily Express

      ‘One of the most eagerly anticipated debuts of 2017 … heartbreaking’

      Bryony Gordon, Mad Girl

      ‘Unusual and arresting’

      Rosie Thomas, The Kashmir Shawl

      ‘Warm, quirky and fun with a real poignancy underneath.’

      Julie Cohen, Falling

      ‘Dark, funny and brave. I loved being with Eleanor as she found her voice’

      Ali Land, Good Me Bad Me

      ‘A roaring success. Readers will fall in love with this quirky, yet loveable character and celebrate as life turns out a little differently than she anticipated’

       Instyle.co.uk

       Dedication

      For my family

       Epigraph

      ‘… loneliness is hallmarked by an intense desire to bring the experience to a close; something which cannot be achieved by sheer willpower or by simply getting out more, but only by developing intimate connections. This is far easier said than done, especially for people whose loneliness arises from a state of loss or exile or prejudice, who have reason to fear or mistrust as well as long for the society of others.

      ‘… the lonelier a person gets, the less adept they become at navigating social currents. Loneliness grows around them, like mould or fur, a prophylactic that inhibits contact, no matter how badly contact is desired. Loneliness is accretive, extending and perpetuating itself. Once it becomes impacted, it is by no means easy to dislodge.’

      Olivia Laing, The Lonely City

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

Copyright

      Praise for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

      Dedication

      Epigraph

      Good Days

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

       Chapter 16

       Chapter 17

       Chapter 18

       Chapter 19

       Chapter 20

       Chapter 21

       Chapter 22

       Chapter 23

       Chapter 24