An Ocean in Iowa: A Novel (Digital Original)

By: Peter Hedges

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Synopsis: A &“funny and supremely moving&”novel about a seven-year-old navigating a world of turmoil by the author of What&’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Harper&’s Bazaar). Seven-year-old Scotty Ocean decides that seven is going to be &“his year.&” But soon after his birthday, his artist-turned-alcoholic mother abandons the family—leaving Scotty and his two older sisters alone with their father. As his perfect year falls apart, Scotty begins to act out during school and takes a series of increasingly wild actions to try to win his mother back—and, when that doesn&’t work, to replace her. Funny and deeply affecting, An Ocean in Iowa traces Scotty&’s desperate attempt to hold on to his childhood while the foundation of his family disintegrates. As Scotty&’s year as a seven-year-old flies by—and the dreaded eight approaches—Peter Hedges explores how Scotty sheds his childhood in a one-eighty of the year he hoped would be so perfect. Beautifully written, and with careful attention to period detail, this compelling coming-of-age novel sets the private turmoil of a disintegrating family against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the turbulent 1960s. &“A delightful romp through the age of seven with an endearing character who revels in life&’s smallest details.&” —The Christian Science Monitor

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