Oona Out of Order

Content Warning: This section references drug use and addiction.

“She tried to accept the mirror’s current verdict, to look at herself here and now. To be here now.”

An older, wiser Oona philosophizes about her situation and how to manage it. The quote is the first statement of one of the major themes of the book: Enjoying the Good Moments and Being Here Now, which the details of Oona’s situation render necessary. Oona’s fate is out of her hands—a fact emphasized by the decisiveness of the word “verdict”—so the best she can do is accept what life deals her.

“Given the chance, she could be a better guitarist than keyboardist, and she was as solid on vocals as Dale.”

Oona is so deeply in love with Dale that he appears perfect. This is the first clue that Oona is letting her emotions get in the way and allowing Dale to stifle her own talents and passions to serve his vision of what the band should be: She hasn’t yet learned the importance of Being True to Oneself.

“They engulfed and consumed each other, but wasn’t that love?”

Oona’s love for Dale is intense. It clouds her sense of self—words like “engulf” and “consume” suggest that it entirely eclipses it—and feeds a side of her that falls into obsession and addiction. Oona has an immature and unhealthy idea of love at the beginning of the book, and it is only after she learns to value herself and her talents that she can return to Dale and have a healthy relationship.