An OCEAN IN IOWA: A NOVEL

Seventh Heaven in "Iowa" An Ocean in Iowa by Peter Hedges ***** 5 stars This novel is a fantastic story about the life of one young boy and I recommend it to everyone. "Seven is going to be my year." That is what Scotty Ocean announced at the beginning of Peter Hedges novel An Ocean in Iowa. Scotty wants to be seven more than anything else in the world and the novel takes us through all of the ups and downs of being seven. The story is told from Scottys point of view and it offers us insight into the mind of an innocent, wide-eyed little boy. The novel takes us back to the late sixties, the days of the moon landing, A Family Affair, and Bonanza. The story centers on the Ocean family, a group of different personalities living in the same house in rural Iowa. Although the story is told from Scottys point of view, we are able to take a look into the minds and hearts of the rest of the family: his father, the Judge; his mother, Joan; and his two older sisters, Claire and Maggie. We are taken through a year in the life of the Oceans which also happens to Scottys seventh year. This year happens to be the year Joan decides to leave the family. Suddenly, the Ocean children are left to live with their loving yet distant father. As the story unfolds, we see the Judge becoming more open to his children. We also see a development in Scottys character. Peter Hedges has written a beautiful character that will capture your hearts the minute you are introduced to him. Scotty is convinced that being seven means being a man. ("Seven is old enough to tie his own shoes.") His character goes from a six-year boy who, in Scottys own opinion, drove his mother away to a seven-year old man who can handle anything. Hedges adds humor to the somewhat serious nature of this novel. The reader cannot help but smile when Scotty paints a nude portrait of himself or when he refuses to take off his Minnesota Vikings helmet. The novel is written with an amazing amount of style, yet there is a simplicity to it which keeps us turning the pages. Perhaps the novel is a reminder of what childhood was like and what thoughts ran through our heads. One would think a seven-year-old character is too simple and unimportant to write a novel about. However, Scottys character has complex thoughts, emotions, and adult ideas and visions. Scotty refuses to turn eight and he is willing to go to drastic measures to prevent it from occurring. Hedges has included a theme throughout the novel that implies that you can only be young once. He is challenging us to look at ourselves now and telling us to enjoy what we have right at this moment. We cannot stay in one place forever but, once we leave, we will always have the memories to look back on. Just as Scotty Ocean cannot be seven forever, we can be sure that he will have plenty of memories of being seven. Maybe it is time he realized that eight may be great after all.