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Eleanor lives a quiet simple life. She has worked at the same office for 10 years, and is considered weird and unsocial among her co-workers. Eleanor goes to work, and home, she avoids social interaction and eats the same meal every night for dinner.
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Eleanor wins tickets to a concert trough work, and takes one of her coworkers with her to enjoy the show. During the concert she discovers a musician, who she instantly decides is the love of her life. She starts planning how to get him into her life.
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Eleanor continues to stalk her crush, and keels on living her life alone. At work she gets to know the IT guy, named Raymond. She thinks of him as irritating, but manages to be appropriate and nice. When Raymond and Eleanor one day walk home from work an old man falls and when they run over, they discover that he is unconscious. Eleanor and Raymond look after the old man until the Ambulance arrives, and for that sake save his life.
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The old man, also named Sammy, turns out to be doing fine after couple of days. Raymond decides to visit Sammy at the hospital, and Eleanor (after some thinking) tags along. Eleanor starts to form some sort of friendship, with both Sammy and Raymond after this event.
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Eleanor still obsesses over the musicians, and sees every social intercourse as and practice. Therefor Eleanor says yes when Raymond askes her to join visiting his mother. Eleanor enjoys the visit very much, and also forms a friendship with Raymonds mother. Slowly she is developing into a more social person.
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Eleanor opens a newspaper at the buss, and discovers that the musicians band is playing a concert that exact Friday. She decides to go, but is determined to get new cloths. At a department store a woman helps her, and Eleanor or is very pleased when she walks out with a new outfit, let alone makeup.
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Eleanor is very exited for the concert, but when she comes to the venue the tickets are all sold out. Meaning, there will be noe concert, and she will not be able to meet her beloved musician.
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The day after the concert Eleanor is supposed to attend Sammy party with Raymond. They both go, Eleanor talks to Sammy's daughter and discovers that she cuts hair for a living. Eleanor schedules an appointment to cut her hair. The same evening she opens up a little bit about her troubling past to Raymond. All in all Eleanor first party in a decayed can be considered as a success.
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At the party Eleanor scheduled a hairdressing appointment with Sammy's daughter. Sammy's daughter Laura changes Eleanor's hairstyle completely, and Eleanor is delighted with the results. Her exact words where: "thank you for making me shiny".
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A couple of days after the hair cut Eleanor is requested in her bosses office. Eleanor is offered a promotion to office manager, and to arrange the Christmas lunch. She askes Raymond for advice of what to do over lunch, and discovers there is a whole world of opportunities outside of Glasgow.
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Eleanor decides to go to another party concerning Sammy and his family together with Raymond. She also decides to take the promotion offerd to her trough work. Eleanor is, and seems more happy then ever. Suddenly one day Raymond comes with bad news though, Sammy has passed away. They attend the funeral together, and off course, it is very sad for them both.
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After the Funeral Eleanor and Raymond take a taxi home to his flat. They are both a bit drunk, and they watch a movie. Eleanor suddenly realize that she has a friend, her first friend ever.
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Eleanor purchases tickets to go Johnny Lemond's concert. Her goal is to meet him, and then destiny will work its magic. Eleanor believes the musician, who se has never really met and her will fall in love and live together forever. That is not what happens.
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After the concert Eleanor finds herself drunk, naked and destroyed under a table in her flat. At he concert she discovers that she had been crushing on a man like a 14 year old girl. Eleanor revisits har harsh past, and concludes with her being a person deserving of loneliness forever.
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After Eleanor being absent from work, Raymond goes too look for her at her flat. He finds her in terrible state, almost at the verge of death. Raymond takes care of Eleanor and slowly helps her towards recovery. Eleanor has never experienced someone taking care of her like this.
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After a week of care Raymond suggests Eleanor should talk to a therapist. After the suggestion Eleanor visits Maria Temple the therapist once a week. Here she talks about her recent depression and the therapist slowly diggs into Eleanor's past, and upbringing.
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As Eleanor is slowly recovering, and working to establish a happier healthier life Raymond gets her a gift. The gift Eleanor receive is a black cat, who she immediately falls in love with. She names the cat Glen, and is very pleased with the company.
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After 2 months recovery Eleanor finally goes back to work. She regularly speaks to her therapist and has uncovered different truths from her childhood. The reader discovers how her mother and sister died in a house fire started intentionally by her mother trying to kill Eleanor and her sister. Raymond and Eleanor have grown close, and Eleanor is by the means of it is starting to feel "fine".
