Eleanor Oliphant

Eleanor is a thirty-year-old women who has worked in the office of an graphic design company called By Design since she graduated college. She has scars on her face from a house fire that Eleanor’s mother, who she calls Mummy, intentionally started to try to kill both Eleanor and Eleanor’s little sister Marianne. Marianne and Mummy died in the fire, while Eleanor escaped. Eleanor has not been able to deal with the consequences of this trauma and refuses to acknowledge the loss of her sister and the insanity of her mother until the end of the novel when she sees a therapist.

After the fire, Eleanor entered foster care. While Mummy had raised Eleanor with the expectation of privilege, Eleanor became more frugal so she would not be an imposition to her foster parents. Eleanor attended university and the social work council provided her with...