At midnight on her 19th birthday in 1982, Oona Lockhart wakes up decades into the future as her 55-year-old self.
What follows is Oona’s realization that on every birthday, she will unwillingly jump into a different year of her life.
Through it all, she navigates love, loss, and the uncertainty that comes with leaping through time.
My thoughts on the book:
Time travel is not a new concept, but by making it something that occurs yearly and without Oona’s control, author Margarita Montimore added her own spin on it
However, I was disappointed that Montimore never explains why Oona, as she refers to it, time leaps.
In fact, it’s blatantly stated in the book that Oona learns to accept her condition (if I can call it that) but never learns what triggered it.
Although this was a very easy and light read, I had other issues with it.
In the first few pages, the reader is introduced to Oona’s boyfriend, Dale. Throughout the book, she refers to him as the love of her life. Despite this, there is very little written about Dale or their relationship.
Moreover, Oona herself was sometimes an unlikeable character. She constantly attempts to escape her fate by writing letters to warn her future/past self about what’s to come. Even so, she often times doesn’t heed her own advice.
One constant in Oona’s life is the complicated bond she has with her mother.
It’s for this reason that I found Oona out Order to be less about romantic love (even with Oona’s numerous flings and romances) and more about the love between a parent and child.
Additionally, there’s the sense that Montimore feels like what is meant to be, is meant to be; you can’t change your destiny no matter how hard anyone tries, even if they can travel through time.
My favorite quote:
“All good things end, always. The trick is to enjoy them while they last.”
