Sophia Book Club
Hey book lovers!
Do you enjoy getting lost in a great story? Join the Sophia Book Club!
Four times a year, Julie Trites, Vice‑Chair of our Board of Directors, shares a meaningful, engaging book she’s loving — often connecting to themes of women’s wellness, resilience, and substance use challenges.
We also support existing or emerging book clubs by helping choose diverse, thought‑provoking reads and offering suggestions that spark rich, reflective conversation.
Whether you’re reading on your own or with a group, we’re here to help deepen connection and understanding through story.
Our Spring 2026 Book
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
By Gail Honeyman
Published in 2017, this hilarious and heartbreaking story has charmed readers across the globe. It topped the New York Times bestseller list and won the British Book Award (Debut of the Year and Book of the Year).
Synopsis
Eleanor Oliphant has her routines, her rules, and her carefully constructed walls. When an unlikely friendship cracks them open, she discovers that connection has the power to heal. Funny, tender, and quietly profound, it’s a story about loneliness, resilience, and the unexpected ways connection can heal us.
Trigger Warnings:
Abuse, Suicide/Self-Harm, Trauma/PTSD, Sexual Violence, Alcohol/Substance Abuse
Question Guide:
Questions to guide your reading of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman:
- Eleanor's narration is precise, literal, and often darkly funny. How does Honeyman use this to both entertain the reader and slowly reveal the depth of her suffering?
- Eleanor constructs an elaborate fantasy around the musician she becomes obsessed with. What need does this fantasy fulfill, and what does it protect her from?
- Mummy is a looming, manipulative presence throughout the novel. How does their weekly phone calls shape our understanding of Eleanor's inner life?
- Raymond is, on the surface, an unlikely hero. Why do you think Honeyman chose someone so ordinary to be Eleanor's catalyst for change? What does this say about the kind of relationships that actually heal us? Did their friendship feel realistic to you?
- The novel deals with trauma, neglect, and mental health, yet it is often described as life-affirming rather than bleak. How does Honeyman balance darkness with hope?
- Consider the role of memory, both recovered and suppressed, in the novel. How does Eleanor's gradual recollection of her past change your understanding of her behavior?
A conversation with the Author
Curious about the author’s inspiration for the novel? Read this conversation with Gain Honeyman
Praise and reviews for
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine:“Smart, warm, uplifting, the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart.”
—Indigo
“The book is wonderfully, quirkily funny. You both ache for Eleanor. . . and laugh with her.”
—Seattle Times
“...an absolute joy, laugh-out-loud funny but deeply moving.”
—Express UK
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