The Center of Everything: A Novel

By Laura Moriarty

"A warm, beguiling book full of hard-won wisdom."--Janet Maslin, The New York Times "The Center of Everything is as realistic and familiar as a summer day in Kansas--brave and gritty, strong voiced and spare."--O, The Oprah Magazine Set in Kerrville, Kansas, The Center of Everything is told by Evelyn Bucknow, an endearing character with a wholly refreshing way of looking at the world. Living with her single mother in a small apartment, Evelyn Bucknow is a young girl wincing her way through adolescence. With a voice that is as charming as it is recognizable, Evelyn immerses the reader in the dramas of an entire community. The people of Kerrville, stuck at once in the middle of nowhere but also at the center of everything, are the source from which Moriarty draws on universal dilemmas of love and belief to render a story that grows in emotional intensity until it lifts the reader to heights achieved only by the finest of fiction.

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387 pages

Average rating: 7.25

4 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Mary Pat Holt
Feb 05, 2026
8/10 stars
What a sweet, poignant coming of age story. Evelyn is an endearing 14 year old living with her single mom in Kerrville, Kansas in the 80's. Evelyn is a smart, funny, average looking girl. Her mother, Tina, is also young & still immature herself so Evelyn turns to her grandmother for guidance. Evelyn does a fantastic job navigating her way through adolescence; she focuses on her studies, has a crush on her friend & is a good friend to Deena. Getting through your teenage years is not easy but Evelyn does it beautifully.

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