Author: Beccy White

It was only when I finished the final page of this book that it struck me how appropriate its unappealing state was.  The copy I had been reading was third hand (at least) and in poor condition – the cover was peeling off and dirty, the pages were dog eared and, in one place, scribbled on in biro. It had arrived to me in this condition and I remember, as it was given to me, feeling unenthusiastic about reading it based on its unattractive appearance which conjured thoughts of all the grubby hands it must have travelled through to reach me; making it not only unpleasant to look at but also somewhat of a health hazard. I’m absolutely certain that Eleanor Oliphant would have felt exactly the same in my position, but they do say ‘never judge a book by its cover’ and this was definitely true for my copy of ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ and as I found out, Eleanor herself.

Eleanor doesn’t have any friends at work, or outside of work for that matter. The main reason for this seems to be that she is, by her own admission, a ‘difficult’ person. She’s highly judgemental of others and not au fait with social norms, which often results in awkward encounters where she’s unable to think before speaking. However, as a reader you can’t help but warm to her. She is pragmatic, earnest, well read, curious, and her observations about the strangeness of everyday life are as amusing as her naivety about social etiquette and the female beauty industry. Eleanor claims to be ‘fine’ with her current situation – people don’t like her and she doesn’t particularly like them. But the assumption that she is ‘fine’ begins to be challenged when the reader learns of her weekend routine which consists of drinking two litres of vodka, alone in her flat. Eleanor is not fine; as a child she experienced sustained physical and emotional abuse and is still suffering the aftermath from these traumatic experiences.

Possibly the most well-known effect of trauma on mental health is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, the consequences of trauma can be much more complex and diverse than this. In this book, Honeyman provides a rich insight into some of the less familiar mental health difficulties associated with trauma such as dissociation. Dissociation is broadly understood as a feeling of being detached from yourself or surroundings. This could mean being unable to remember events from your own life, feeling like you are observing yourself from a distance or that you are ‘floating away’. Honeyman eloquently describes Eleanor’s dissociations and uses the narrative to draw a connection between the continuous, or ‘complex’, trauma Eleanor has endured and her current maladaptive behaviours. Eleanor experiences fantasy proneness; which manifests itself as she develops an infatuation with a singer, believing that they will meet and fall in love. I found myself admiring the staunchness with which she applies herself to the task of ‘researching’ him and overhauling her image in preparation for their first encounter. But I also felt slightly embarrassed for her, pre-empting that reality was unlikely to meet her expectations and sad, considering such a fantasy is conceivably born from chronic loneliness and an unmet need to feel loved.

Trauma models of dissociation suggest that such responses to trauma are adaptive. For example, detaching the self from harmful experiences may be a useful protective strategy during times of threat. However, such strategies can become harmful themselves if continually relied upon and are thus sometimes referred to as maladaptive in later life. Recent work by Sonya Rafiq, a PhD student at the University of Manchester has shown that there is a link between childhood trauma and dissociation in people with serious mental illness . Dissociation has also been linked by other researchers to hearing voices  and fantasy proneness. However, these associations are not yet fully understood. Further work is needed to understand the processes responsible for the relationship between dissociative experiences and voice hearing, how different types of trauma effect dissociation and fantasy proneness and why some trauma survivors experience such mental health difficulties whilst others don’t.

At the University of Manchester a new Complex Trauma and Resilience Research Unit (C-TRU) has been set up in collaboration with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to try and improve understanding of how people respond to trauma and investigate new ways of better supporting people who, like Eleanor, adapt in complex ways. Recent work by C-TRU researchers has aimed to help explain the relationship between childhood adversities and psychosis and investigated the viability of using Trauma-focused therapies to treat young voice hearers who have experienced childhood adversity.

Ultimately, through Eleanor, Honeyman inspires the reader to think more deeply and compassionately about the reasons behind people’s behaviour. This book made me reflect on loneliness and how hard it might be, once isolated, to reconnect with the world. Yes, it is dark in places, but it also made me laugh. Although introduced as a captious character, by the end you’ll be rooting for Eleanor, inspired by her bravery and touched by her desire and capacity, despite all she has endured, to be kind to others and herself.