Oona Out of Order

by Margarita Montimore

Release: February 2020
Format: Novel
Genre: Mainstream
Audience: Adults
Content: Definite Time Travel
Original Language: English

On Oona Lockhart’s 19th birthday, her mind leaps into her 51-year-old body where she learns that she’s fated to leap into a random year on every coming birthday, living each year once in a normal manner except for her discontinous consciousness.

— Michael Main

Do I ever find any kind of stability? Or do I live life year after year like some kind of existential hobo?

DEBUT

Oona Out of Order (Flatiron Books, February 2020).

VARIANTS

3 English variants

TRANSLATIONS

Translations to Polish

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Time Periods

Circa AD 1970 to 1999: dates from 1982 to 1999
Circa AD 2000 to 2099: dates from 2003 to 2017

Timeline Models

Single Static Timeline: “You’re not going to stop any wars or stave off any big tragedies. You’re not Sarah Connor.” Oona’s lack of curiosity about even trying to change things makes it difficult to determine what would have happened had she tried. But as written, there are no changes to the timeline, so it could well be a single static timeline.

Themes

Free Will, Fate, and Determinism: “Even though I’ve never been about to change my fate, I’ll always wonder if it’s possible. If I’ve already done it without seeing evidence of it yet.
Get Rich Quick through Time Travel: mostly offstage stock market and sports betting
Meeting or Viewing Ancestors or Descendants: Oona meets her child before she’s given birth, and she also meets her mother at various points, including times when Oona is older than Mom.
Wisdom or Consolation to Your Younger Self: letters at the start of most years

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

From Dale’s house, Brooklyn, New York City, the end of 31 December 1982 ⋙ to Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 2015. Note: Oona’s first leap to age 51/19.
From Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the end of 31 December 2015 ⋙ to a Chelsea club, New York City, the start of 1 January 1991. Note: age 27/20.
From Queens Expressway, Brooklyn, New York City, the end of 31 December 1991 ⋙ to the F-Line, near Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 2004. Note: age 40/21.
From Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the end of 31 December 2004 ⋙ to Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 2003. Note: age 39/22.
From the F-Line, near Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York City, the end of 31 December 2003 ⋙ to a beach in Vietnam, the start of 1 January 1995. Note: age 31/23.
From an unknown location, the end of 31 December 1995 ⋙ to Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 1999. Note: age 35/24.
From an unknown location, the end of 31 December 1999 ⋙ to Oona’s brownstone, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 2017. Note: age 53/25.
From an unknown location, the end of 31 December 2017 ⋙ to Dale’s house, Brooklyn, New York City, the start of 1 January 1983. Note: age 19/26.