Oona Out of Order - by Margarita Montimore (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

With its countless epiphanies and surprises, Oona proves difficult to put down. --USA Today

By turns tragic and triumphant, heartbreakingly poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an uplifting and redemptive read. --The Guardian

A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of order.

It's New Year's Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she's told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...

Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she's never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.

Review Quotes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick

A Library Reads and IndieNext Pick

A Most Anticipated Book (Parade, Huffington Post, Book Riot, PopSugar)

Goodreads Staffers' Top Three Books of the Year

With its countless epiphanies and surprises, Oona proves difficult to put down...Oona also reminds us that life is very much in the present, not in the moments that have passed us or the ones yet to come. And that is true no matter our age.
--USA Today

By turns tragic and triumphant, heartbreakingly poignant and joyful, this is ultimately an uplifting and redemptive read.
--The Guardian

"Oona Out of Order takes a unique approach on time travel. With each turn of a new year, we see the plot move along with unexpected yet entertaining twists and turns. We learn at the end of the day, time is of the essence and love endures all.
--Associated Press

"Oona Out of Order is beautiful and heartbreaking, a novel about the nature of time and how life marches on, that you simply must read."
--PopSugar

Looking for a lighthearted read? Maybe something that will remind you all to live your best life? ...A charming, quirky story about aging and self-discovery.
--Book Riot

A charming, delightful look at how it can be possible to live in the present even when the past and future are always in flux.
--Seattle Book Review

Oona Out of Order is a delightful read full of surprises and thoughtful retrospection....At the heart of this story lie the deep human connections Oona forges despite her strange lifestyle. These relationships, with their ups and downs, are what will keep readers on the edge of their seat.
--Harvard Crimson

"A smart, funny, time-hopping journey around the last four decades...Montimore's meditation on what always changes and what never will sparkles with hope and heart, perfect for readers who love a quirky, thought-provoking tale."
--Shelf Awareness

"Witty, humorous, heartwarming. Imbued with musical and cultural influences spanning decades and reminiscent of Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot and Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, Oona Out of Order is a delightfully freewheeling romp."
--Booklist (starred review)

"A compelling page-turner...Montimore delivers a rock-and-roll love letter to 1980s-90s New York City as Oona discovers her true self through a lifetime of music and pop culture. A perfect match for those who enjoy well-developed characters with a twist."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"Montimore sustains the concept by rooting the story in Oona's relationships, employing sparkling humor as Oona struggles to make sense of each year's new circumstances. This witty, fantastical exploration of life's inevitable changes is surprising and touching."
--Publishers Weekly

"A heartfelt novel that celebrates its implausibility with a unique joie de vivre."
--Kirkus Reviews

Margarita Montimore has written a dazzling novel. This madcap opera, the story of Oona Lockhart's life told in full with scope and breadth in and out of sequence but never out of tune, is the perfect read for this moment. Modern, emotional, funny, ferocious, and spun with enough light and magic to fire up the Vegas strip, Oona Out of Order lands like a meteor.
--Adriana Trigiani, author of Tony's Wife

A fascinating and beautifully crafted tale which explores identity and relationships in one woman's unpredictable and radically-changing world. Unputdownable and uplifting, what Montimore has penned is a treasure that will remind you of the importance of living life fully in the present.
--Kim Michele Richardson, author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

"Oona Out of Order is haunting--a fascinating, sometimes heart-wrenching exploration of life lived moment-to-moment."
--Emily Colin, author of The Memory Thief

About The Author

Margarita Montimore is the author of Asleep from Day and Oona Out of Order, a national bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick. After receiving a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, she worked for over a decade in publishing and social media before deciding to focus on the writing dream full-time. Born in Soviet Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, she currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and dog.