Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. But am I?

When I saw the book titled 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' in the top 10 in the Goodreads ranking, I realised that I hadn’t read fiction in a long while, and I almost always read mysteries and adventures. This particular day, when I bought this book, I was bored, waiting for my flight. This book would be a welcome change.

The back of the book said something about loneliness. I figured that the book would make me feel sorry for the character and grieve for her. I figured that if she was real, I would have adopted her and looked after her. But what a pleasant surprise! She made me relook at my life, about the things I do to myself and for myself. For instance, in my not-so-lonely life, I rarely find time to look after my needs. Eleanor made me crave for some things like makeup, and buying an outfit for myself. Eleanor has a structured life, with routine and clarity of purpose. Eleanor reminded me that I am kind, but that I should be outwardly kind more often. She is teaching me a few things. In fact, if she was real, she would perhaps feel sorry for me.
Things do get a bit dark towards the end of the book, but even there, through her friend, kindness prevails. It made me realize that we definitely need more kindness in this world. I really want to be more kind, since I read this book.

I think the author meant for this book to be about a woman embracing her fears and getting out of a rut through the kindness of friends and, in some instances, strangers. Based on my understanding, however, in spite of the agony, Eleanor is a role model for a busy person like me. It might be unkind of me to say it, because one may say that I am ignoring her problems. But hey, she's a fictional character. So, maybe I can be a bit unkind. Also, it's high time we stopped looking at people with certain behaviours as needing kindness. Everyone needs kindness. 
Eleanor Oliphant is quite fine, if you ask me. She actually is.