An Ocean in Iowa
Published on 1. October 2020
252 pages
978-0-7953-4318-6 (ISBN)
Description
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 Iowatraces 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
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 Iowatraces 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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Raised in West Des Moines, Iowa, Peter Hedges is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and director. He studied drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. His first novel,
What's Eating Gilbert Grape, was made into a classic movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio in his breakout role. Afterward, Hedges went on to write and direct numerous critically-acclaimed films, including
Pieces of April,
Dan in Real Life, and
The Odd Life of Timothy Green. His screenplay for
About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Acknowledgments
- Dedication
- Contents
- What Scotty Said
- Almost Heaven
- Look at Scotty Grow
- A Good Boy
- Christmas
- Other Mothers
- The Wrong Crowd
- What Was Learned
