Oona Out of Order by Margarita MontimoreMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a general rule, one of the things I most appreciate about a novel is the author’s ability to suspend my disbelief, even in the most fantastic of circumstances. I suppose this is why the sci-fi genre has never appealed to me. I need to believe to be engaged—the read must have some semblance of realism. Although after perusing the synopsis, I began this novel with great skepticism and little hope, I ended truly impressed and surprisingly sated. Slap my ass and color me pink—I really liked this!
When the reader initially meets Oona, she is a starry-eyed eighteen year old, celebrating New Year’s Eve and looking forward to her New Year’s Day birthday. As the story unfolds, the reader is treated to a rollercoaster ride through Oona’s life as she is experiencing it—one year at a time, though completely devoid of chronological order. Each year, on the eve of her birthday, Oona finds herself “jumping” to, and waking up in, a new, random year. She travels forward and back through time, adjusting to each stage in ways that are always in keeping with her actual chronological age as measured from that fateful eve of her nineteenth birthday. Aware of the disconnect, Oona struggles to make sense of new and old relationships as she mourns losses she never actually experienced.
Does it make sense? Not a bit. Are there gaping holes in the logic used to support character behaviors? You bet! Was it, in spite of these things, a fun read that captured my imagination? Absolutely. This is a read that will require a few leaps of faith, but the payoff is a wistful, sometimes whimsical, look at life by way of a poignant tale that is sure to capture your imagination. A definite 2020 favorite.
View all my reviews
