“I am Mary Iris Malone, and I am not okay.”

This opening line of the novel summarizes Mim’s main predicament. For much of her life, her father and psychiatrists have told her that she’s not okay, and she’s started to believe them. While her father is afraid that she is prone to psychosis like his sister, she feels “not okay” because of circumstances that are beyond her control. 

“So maybe that’s what this will be, Iz: my Book of Reasons. I’ll explain the whys behind my whats, and you can see for yourself how my Reasons stack up.” 

Mim explains why she’s writing letters to her in-utero half-sister Isabel: She wants to provide a list of reasons for why she’s leaving home. Although these letters are written to Isabel, they serve as a way for Mim to think through her thoughts and feelings. Most often, she uses the letters to examine who she is and who she hopes to be. 

“I loved it when she was like that, all young and fun and eager to keep being young and fun, and it didn’t matter what happened the day before or the day after, all that mattered was the Young Fun Now.” 

Mim recalls the first time she and her mom attended the neighborhood Labor’s Day party. Although the party was hosted by strangers, Mim and her mom fit right in because they were all suburban rebels. This idea of the “Young Fun Now” is a mantra that gets repeated throughout the novel, and it describes the quality of being carefree, spontaneous, and happy in the present moment. During Mim’s happiest moments with her mom, she says that Eve is full of the “Young Fun Now” to describe her jovial personality; this