REVIEW: The Year of Oceans by Sean Anderson

The Year of Oceans is a book that will surprise you. At first, it appears to be a typical slice-of-life literary piece, following the days of a retired man who has recently lost his wife to death. The first few chapters are interesting, as peering into anyone’s day might be. But the characters are so authentic, that the reader begins to really care about them—a key to good writing. I felt sorry for him, I was frustrated with him, and I began to understand him. As his days alone unfold, the themes of grief, loss, attempts at healing reveal themselves. His interactions with friends and family, each of whom has different ways of supporting or helping him (or trying to help him) invites the reader to consider what they might say to Hugo, and what they might ant said (or not said) to them.
The novel’s pace is well-done for the genre and subject as if we are walking quietly by Hugo’s side as he goes about tasks rather methodically, being stubborn and irritated, lonely and sad, and also finding moments of joy.

The ending may disappoint some readers, either because they did not see it coming (despite the foreshadowing), or because it took a different form than expected. Yet it also invites the reader to ponder how they would respond—not only to the loss of a partner but to the various encouragements of how to cope.

I believe this is Anderson’s first novel, and it is a success, in my opinion. It becomes a bit slow in a few places, and perhaps too much “telling rather than showing” in places, but those critiques are mine—another might find no problem with those sections. In overall style (perhaps subgenre is a better word), it fits such novels as Amsterdam, Tinkers, Olive Kitteridge, or Gilead. If you enjoy that style of literary fiction, you’ll enjoy this book. I look forward to his next novel.

Note: I received a free copy of this book as a reviewer; I was left free to assess and critique as I saw fit.