“Oona Out of Order” by Margaret Montimore addresses the issues of imposter syndrome and feeling like you’re a stranger in your own body through the main character, Oona. Every year from her 19th birthday onward, Oona ages a year but she appears in a body who’s age is completely different.
On Oona’s 19th birthday, she begins living her life out of order. She wakes up as a 51-year-old and has to learn how to live in an older woman’s body. She continues with her leaps and eventually gets the bearing of her leaps. At first, she seems to be just letting her life play out, never trying to actively participate in it. Along the way, we see that change and watch each year of Oona’s life play out. Through Oona, we see the changes that people have in their life and how they’re not the same person throughout their entire life.
The best thing about the book is the switches in time periods. Oona starts as a pre-internet teenager in 1982, but she quickly has to adjust to being an Instagramming and iTunes working woman. Each time switch gives a new perspective to the year and shows problems that only someone living in those times would have faced. She By lives ing through the AIDS epidemic and being careful throughout that time to living in 2015, and having to adjust to the new technology and changes in her city. She quickly readjusts to each jump and even learns to embrace the technology of the times.
The dynamic between Oona and her mother was another interesting part of the book. It’s not a typical mother-daughter relationship, but it’s still functional. What was most interesting is that even though they did not have the best relationship, it was clear from the beginning that her mother was included in the time-traveling secret and was trying to help each new Oona with the process of having to relearn her life at each age.
Honestly, this book is not one that I particularly enjoyed. There were some redeeming qualities to it, but overall it’s not a book that I would typically read. Oona’s character seemed irritable throughout the whole book. It seemed like when she was in a bad mood, she wanted to take everyone with her. She also didn’t think through every decision that she made each time she woke up in a new life. And as a detail-oriented person who thinks through everything, it just made me dislike her more. The romantic relationships were also not something I enjoyed, she seemed committed to finding someone to spend the rest of her life with but every time she stumbled into a relationship, she would end it. Overall, this isn’t a book that I would keep on my shelf or re-read.