But it pales in stark comparison to what it might have been. They both realize they're in love but, in the slow, bumbling way of so many people who fall in love, they don't do anything about it until some serious self-examination has been completed. The problem is that there's not too much to examine. Joe and Anna are nice people. So nice, in fact, that they hardly take the time to be angry at, or even think about their myriad of problems.
Denial is a key theme of the book, but even the reader is left in the dark about key scenes.
Not only do the characters not know, but the readers don't either, leaving major scenes to speculation. Even the chemistry between the two is kept concealed. For a relationship to work, there needs to be at least some spark but, aside from some heady conversation, it's hard to believe that these two aren't just roommates. Sex is talked about just as much as it's accomplished, and kisses are described in a nearly clinical fashion. Out of the Blue does find its saving grace in Joe's father, Gus, who lights up every scene he's in.