There aren't many books that I've enjoyed so much that I want to read them again, but this is definitely one of them. I think it's because it took me by surprise. I'd read an interview with the author where she'd spoken about the main character, Eleanor. I obviously wasn't paying attention because I came to the book with a completely different expectation. What I knew of Eleanor was that she lived alone, didn't go out much, and was really very lonely, and that the book would explain how she'd become how she was, and how she got through life. Well, all of that is true, but as soon as you start to read the book, you realise that Eleanor is not like everyone else. She may have a job, a flat, and enjoys doing cryptic crosswords, but she is hugely scarred mentally by her childhood. Something happened which has caused her to interact with colleagues in a very different manner. She needs bottles of vodka to get her through a weekend. She has a bullying and controlling mother, and the only contact Eleanor has with her is a weekly phone call, during which the mother usually berates and belittles her.
Eleanor decides she needs someone in her life to love her and be her companion. She becomes obsessed with a local musician and tries to organise a situation where they can meet. While this is happening, one of her work colleagues, Raymond, befriends her. She doesn't particularly like Raymond, but will she be able to see past looks and realise who may be better for her in her life?
This is an emotional and moving book about not fitting in and about mental health. It is Gail Honeyman's debut novel, but it has already been shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction prize while it was a work in progress, and it was chosen as one of the Observer's Debuts of the Year for 2017.
