59 pages • 1 hour read
Gail HoneymanEleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 30-33Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 30 Summary
Having just screamed obscenities at an empty chair, Eleanor is surprised when her session has ended and Dr. Temple releases her back to the real world. Eleanor drinks vodka at a nearby pub and goes home to sleep in the middle of the day.
She and Raymond continue to meet for lunch. Raymond asks Eleanor where her Mummy is; Eleanor relays that she’s in prison but that she doesn’t know her mother’s crime. Eleanor also tells Raymond that Oliphant isn’t her actual surname. Raymond offers to look up what Mummy did, but Eleanor dismisses the idea.
During another lunch, Eleanor tells Raymond how her Mummy has traveled the world and enjoyed death-defying adventures. Raymond points out that Mummy’s exploits don’t sound responsible, since she was supposed to be caring for Eleanor during that time.
Mummy calls, and Eleanor asks her how old she was when Eleanor was born. Mummy replies that she was 20 years old and changes the subject by insulting her daughter. Eleanor tells Mummy about the leave of absence from work due to depression. She also shares that she’s seen a therapist, and Mummy threatens her in a whisper. The phone line cuts off, and Eleanor notes that her mother sounded both scary and scared.
Chapter 31 Summary
Eleanor continues her weekly sessions with Dr. Temple. One day, she runs into Laura. Laura compliments Eleanor’s hair, and Eleanor shares her condolences about Laura’s father’s passing. Laura mentions Raymond, and Eleanor shares that they have lunch weekly. Laura, unaware of their friendship, seems relieved to find out it’s just lunch and nothing more.
At her next counseling appointment, Eleanor discusses her absent father. Dr. Temple asks about the sexual assault that led to Eleanor’s conception, and Eleanor explains that her mother didn’t like to discuss it. She also shares that her Mummy liked to pretend she and Eleanor were better than others and held rigorous standards for everyone, especially Eleanor.
Dr. Temple asks about Eleanor’s experience in foster care. Eleanor explains that her physical needs were met, but Dr. Temple identifies that her emotional needs were not. Dr. Temple asks Eleanor if anyone ever loved her unconditionally, and Eleanor starts to remember small details of a former life. Dr. Temple says the session has ended, and Eleanor, incensed, mutters, “‘Go to hell’” (262).
Chapters 32 Summary
Dr. Temple assures Eleanor that expressing anger is a good thing. Eleanor returns home and cleans out her apartment. She receives a delivery of flowers from her coworkers, wishing her well. She receives a message from Raymond asking if he can come over with a surprise. Eleanor goes to Mr. Dewar’s convenience store and buys snacks. In line, she overhears two people forgetting a word and interrupts them by telling them the word: tagine. Mr. Dewar seems pleased to see Eleanor looking well.
Raymond arrives at her apartment with a black cat. His roommate rescued the cat from a burning garbage can. Hearing this, Eleanor runs to the restroom and gets sick. She returns to the living room and considers whether or not to keep this ornery cat with its patchy fur. She decides to keep her and names her Glen.
Eleanor enjoys Glen’s company and buys the cat some food, a bed, and some toys. Raymond comes by again a few days later and brings his mother. He also brings a chocolate cake for Eleanor. Eleanor expresses gratitude for his care. Mrs. Gibbons says, “‘He’s got a heart of gold, my boy’” (275), to Raymond’s embarrassment. After they’ve left, Eleanor picks up a tabloid Raymond left behind to learn the news that Johnnie Lomond’s former band has just had a hit single in America. She reads the singer’s Twitter, where he initially congratulates them and later curses at his misfortune.
Chapter 33 Summary
At their next appointment, Dr. Temple asks Eleanor to replay her memory the day of the fire. Eleanor closes her eyes and sees the house she’d like to forget. She says Mummy is angry, and Dr. Temple asks her to say more. Eleanor pauses a long while before asking, “‘Where’s Marianne?’” (280).
Chapters 30-33 Analysis
Emotional work in therapy takes a considerable toll on Eleanor in these chapters. She expresses rage, perhaps for the first time, at her Mummy and at Dr. Temple, and she learns that her emotional needs have gone unfulfilled throughout her life. The trauma she has attempted to bury emerges with full force as she describes growing up under the rigorous standards of her Mummy and in the lonely system of foster care. Her reaction when Raymond explains what happened to Glen offers another glimpse at her past trauma in the fire.
Something still lies hidden inside Eleanor, “tugging at my sleeve. I tried to ignore her but she wouldn’t go away, that little voice, those little hands” (262). The mysterious figure Eleanor has referenced in previous chapters returns to her in therapy and seems to be named Marianne, the person Eleanor references at the end of Chapter 33.
As her interior transformation begins in earnest, Eleanor also makes exterior changes. Rather than continuing her makeover, she cleans out her apartment and welcomes Glen the cat into her life. She addresses the areas of disrepair, clutter, and lack she has avoided for many years and thereby learns to care for herself better. She receives Raymond and his mother gladly during these chapters and finds comfort and delight in their company. After reading that Johnnie’s band has found success without him, Eleanor realizes that he is ultimately unimportant to her. Eleanor has begun to see that past wounds are the problem, not her lack of romantic partner.
