Mental Disability and Social Exclusion in Contemporary Narratives: A Study of Turtles All the Way Down and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Contemporary fiction increasingly portrays mental disability through socially conscious frameworks that challenge pathological stereotypes and expose the mechanisms of exclusion operating within modern society. Rather than presenting psychological disorders solely as individual medical conditions, recent literary narratives emphasize the social, emotional, and institutional factors that intensify psychological suffering. This article examines representations of mental disability and social exclusion in John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down (2017) and Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (2017). Drawing upon disability studies and trauma theory, the study argues that both novels critique ableist assumptions regarding normalcy, emotional stability, and productivity while foregrounding the lived experiences of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma, and loneliness. Through close textual analysis, the article demonstrates that social alienation, emotional invisibility, and cultural stigma significantly contribute to the psychological struggles experienced by the protagonists. The selected novels humanize mentally disabled individuals by emphasizing vulnerability, empathy, and interpersonal connection. Ultimately, the article contends that contemporary fiction functions as an ethical intervention that advocates neurodiversity, inclusivity, and social responsibility toward mental health.