Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: a Novel

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: a Novel / Gail Honeyman, 327 pp.

Thanks so much to Kara for reviewing this; her praise was well deserved.  Novels told from the point of view of characters who may or may not be 'on the spectrum' are trendy; Honeyman has taken the concept and worked it into something surprisingly fresh.  Eleanor's voice is funny but believable, and Honeyman never takes the quirks to extremes.  And yes, as Kara points out, any astute fiction reader can guess that completely fine means its opposite. (And who would read a novel about someone who was completely fine, anyway?)

Eleanor's progress from 'not fine' to 'on the mend' involves Raymond, the new IT guy at her office, and Sammy, an elderly man they meet while waiting for the bus.  While aspects of the plot are not totally original, Eleanor's voice certainly is, and the psychology feels true.  Recommended.

The assistants

The Assistants / Camille Perri, 282 pgs.

Tina is media titan Roberts' assistant.  She does a great job and takes care of all the details.  One day, due to an error, she gets an expense check that should be returned to the company.  Instead, she pays of her student loan.  Not long after, Emily, the assistant up in accounting who approves expense reports confronts her.  Emily won't turn her in if they can do the same to pay off HER loans.  As more people find out what is up, they want in on the scheme.  Even though things are going along just fine, Tina starts dating Kevin, a do-gooder who believes she is working on developing a non-profit to help women with their student loan debt...not far from the truth, really.  As predicted, eventually there is a blow up and things get real.  Will Tina find her spine and fight back or will the loyal assistant be the "good girl."  Highly entertaining!