As the start of a new semester approaches and summer vacation enters its final stretches, time can feel like it is moving faster than ever. Between one last laughter-filled hangout with hometown friends, wrapping up a grueling summer internship or last-minute shopping for dorm decor, August is often defined by the bittersweet changes it brings. As the easygoing ebb and flow of the summer gives way to the excitement and uncertainty of a new school year, many students may find themselves wishing for a little more time with the sun-filled days of summer. While no one can actually rewind the ever-ticking clock, these three books offer the next best thing — a journey beyond the present that transports readers across timelines, alternate realities and lives lived in unexpected ways.
“Oona Out of Order” by Margarita Montimore
Uniquely reflective and inventive, Montimore’s 2020 bestselling novel “Oona Out of Order” is a poignant representation of embracing the present, even when Oona Lockhart’s life unfolds in a non-chronological order. On the eve of her 19th birthday, a spirited Oona is faced with a life-altering decision — to remain in New York with her up-and-coming rock band and boyfriend or travel to London alone to study economics. However, when the clock strikes midnight, she suddenly awakens in the body of her 51-year-old self, catapulted 32 years into the future. From then on, Lockhart leaps to a random age once a year on her birthday, forcing her to navigate her fragmented life with minimal preparation.
Spanning from 1982 to the futuristic 2051, the novel immerses readers in decades of shifting music, technology and popular culture, making Lockhart’s time jumps feel unique and distinct. Divided into nine sections — each representing a different time jump — the novel thoughtfully captures the defining moments of each era while maintaining universal themes of discovery, loss and growth. Much of this success lies in Montimore’s prose, which distinguishes between time periods through dialogue referencing significant historical moments of the era, while simultaneously portraying Lockhart’s disconnect between her mental and physical age with clarity and ease. Through this touching exploration of identity and an unconventional timeline, “Oona Out of Order” reminds readers that growth rarely follows a straight path, making it a fitting choice for anyone looking to leap through time and reflect on life’s unexpectedness.
“The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” by Claire North
Set in 20th century Europe, North’s science fiction novel “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” follows Harry August, a man who is born into the same life 15 times, reliving the same period of history from birth to death each time. At the start of his second life, August discovers that he retains the memory of his previous life, allowing him to carry his experiences into each new life. Initially bewildered, August gradually learns to use this condition to his advantage, experiencing life in different ways through diverse careers in medicine and secret intelligence, various romantic relationships and involvement in historical moments like World War II. However, August’s newfound control over his circumstances is disrupted when he learns that someone with similar abilities is manipulating the course of history, accelerating technological progress by introducing inventions decades before humans would have naturally discovered them. Faced with several complex philosophical and ethical dilemmas, August embarks on a decades-long journey to stop the changes before they irreparably alter history and humanity’s natural timeline is lost.
North’s nonconsecutive structure allows readers to piece together August's story by jumping from one of his lives to another much like how he pieces together the memories of his previous lives. This atypical format complements the novel’s philosophical theming, inviting readers to explore the moral quandaries of altering the future and of time travel, a stark contrast from novels of the genre that solely view the power as a gift. For those tempted by the idea of revisiting the past or altering a section of their own history, “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” offers a thought-provoking examination of what it means to get a second chance.
“This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
A surreal portrait of love transcending universal conflict, El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s ornate prose comprises “This is How You Lose the Time War.” The epistolary book depicts the vastly different lives of two enemy agents on opposite sides of a war who race across time together to alter history in favor of their opposing civilizations. Although both agents — named Red and Blue — begin as rivals, a series of hidden letters exchanged between them sparks an unlikely correspondence, pushing the two to reevaluate the deadly consequences of being caught communicating by their respective nations. As their relationship becomes more intimate, the threat of their warring factions looms closer, forcing them to reconsider the bounds of war, devotion and freedom.
Told entirely through a set of letters, El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s flowery writing transforms Red and Blue’s rivalry into a poignant representation of language and connection prevailing over actual weaponry. Despite its short length of around 200 pages, the novel’s intricate descriptions and poetic language make each letter feel like both a declaration of love and a strategic maneuver, blurring the lines between connection and conflict. By exploring themes of romantic connection across the past, present and future, El-Mohtar and Gladstone investigate the fantastical boundaries of time travel alongside something undeniably human — the longing to be understood. Poetic, abstract and experimental, “This is How You Lose the Time War” is a radiant novel that uses the possibilities of time travel to explore the unexpected connections that can emerge between two people on opposite sides of a conflict.
Bringing forth different sets of unique characters, conflicts and themes, each novel provides a welcome distraction from the uncertainty and transitions that define a linear August. While time travel is still out of reach for humankind, these books offer their own imaginative spins on the concept, inviting readers to consider what could be possible if they had a little more time before the summer season fades into fall.
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