⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Oh how this book touched me. I wasn't sure I'd like it. Although I kept seeing it online with such high recommendations. As it began I found myself resisting the main character. She was odd and not warm. She lacked self-awareness in ways she could help herself fit in at work and find own her path. As the story unfolded I found myself softening to Eleanor. Developing compassion for her perspective, her rigor and her patterns. She was surviving the best she knew how, and with the most confidence in herself possible. I find such affection for stories that put odd personalities in front of one another. To see how they connect and more importantly, learn from one another. This is exactly what happens.
When Eleanor encounters someone where she can focus her energy other than herself, she too begins to soften. She becomes part of something greater than her own deficiencies. Her past of pain and devastation is diminished by her present day opportunities. She begins to understand friendship, forgiveness and generosity. The lessons in this book are substantial.
For me it was reminiscent of a book I read in my teens, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger. The unsettling feeling of not fitting in was so present in both of them and transported me back in time. I still miss this character months later. And I'm so glad she had a place in my reading life this year!
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