Jamie Harrison
The Center of Everything
(Counterpoint Press, January 2021)
ABA Indie Next January 2021 Pick
One of Spine Magazine‘s “Book Covers We Love”
One of PureWow‘s “9 Books to Read in January”
One of O: The Oprah Magazine‘s “20 Best Books to Pick Up This January”
Featured on Literary Hub‘s list of “20 New Books to Add to Your TBR pile”
One of Book Marks‘s Best Reviewed Books of the Week
Longlisted for the 2022 Reading the West Award for Fiction
A compelling saga from the award-winning author of The Widow Nash, The Center of Everything offers a stunning and heartfelt examination of the deep bonds of family and how the ones we’ve loved and lost echo throughout our lives.
For Polly, the small town of Livingston, Montana is a magical ecosystem of extended family and raw, natural beauty governed by kinship networks that extend back generations. But the summer of 2002 finds Polly at a crossroads. A recent head injury has scattered her perception of the present, resurfacing events from thirty years ago and half a country away. As Polly’s relatives arrive for a reunion during the Fourth of July holiday, a beloved friend goes missing on the Yellowstone River, drudging up difficult memories for a family well acquainted with tragedy. As search parties comb the river, Polly excavates her memories, and over the course of one fateful week arrives at a deeper understanding of herself and the secrets of her larger-than-life family.
Weaving together the past and the present, bounded by the brisk shores of Long Island Sound and the picturesque but ruthless landscapes of big sky Montana, The Center of Everything examines with profound insight the nature of the human condition: the tribes we call family, the memories and touchstones that make up a life, the allure of revenge, and the loves and losses we must endure along the way.
Praise for The Center of Everything
“A sharply intelligent, warmhearted embrace of human imperfection—the kind of book that invites a second reading.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Brilliant…Readers will find themselves wishing this won’t end.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Engaging…A a wonderful cast of interesting characters…infuse Polly’s mental mapmaking with shimmering light and color….Harrison’s novel takes the unreliable narrator to a whole new place: in short, to the center of everything.”
—The Washington Post
“Meticulously crafted, graceful novel…”
—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Suffused with a deep appreciation of place, time passing and human connection, this gorgeous novel is well worth your time.”
—People Magazine
“Harrison…makes it impossible not only to root for Polly, but to genuinely need to unravel the mystery of her life…Harrison’s talent lies in her rich characterizations and descriptions…Between Polly’s fragmented thoughts and Harrison’s rich descriptions of the wild beauty of Montana, The Center of Everything does have a dreamlike quality.”
—PureWow
“Wise and warmhearted . . . In The Center of Everything, Jamie Harrison has created a world so total, so real, so personal, that the reader, on finishing it, is missing it already.”
—Washington Independent Review of Books
“The Center of Everything slips deftly through time, all the while taking the reader to the marvelous unfolding of secrets (both wondrous and murderous) that were right before our eyes. How beautifully our attention is distracted and illuminated in this resonant novel.”
—Joan Silber, author of Improvement
“This doesn’t feel like a work of fiction. It feels real, like reading someone’s diary. I’m left convinced that these characters have immortal souls, and I find comfort in their familiarity. I want to spend more time in their world, urging them to whisper their secrets in my ear. A brilliant book–I wish I could write like this.”
—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
“The Center of Everything is a bighearted, feet-on-the-ground, bracing, intelligent book. Its people will endure in readers’ memories, page after compelling page.”
—Thomas McGuane
“Lyrical, profound…Recommended for book clubs and fans of complex, literary fiction.”
—Booklist
“Exquisitely nuanced, beautifully constructed.”
—Library Journal
“Reading The Center of Everything is like traveling further and further into a dream, spiraling around fragments toward a point of love and wonder. It’s a redemptive and hopeful novel guided by earthy, reliable men, women and children who inspire and encourage.”
—BookPage
“Gorgeous… Harrison’s writing shimmers like light-sparkled water.”
—Caroline Leavitt, San Francisco Chronicle
“Searching for a first book club book of 2021? Look no further.”
—PureWow
“A family saga teeming with drama and no shortage of conflicts, detailed nature references…and family love and loyalty lend a gentle tone. Re-reading reveals “a-ha” moments cleverly tucked into this exquisitely crafted novel.”
—Shelf Awareness, Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
“A true celebration of loss and love.”
—Missoulian
“Jamie Harrison wends a western tale along the Yellowstone River, a novel filled with memories both certain and filled with doubt at the same time. I loved it!”
—Anne Holman, The King’s English Bookshop
“Jamie Harrison wields a mighty pen with precision and care . . .She has that rare gift of making a fictional story sound like the real thing.”
—Linda Bond, Auntie’s Bookstore
“The slipperiness of memory, the strength and weakness of family ties, and the unexpected jolt of sudden death are all touchstones of this striking novel. It’s 2002, and Polly, who has sustained a head injury that causes her to doubt her own recollections, is preparing for a Fourth of July family reunion. The death of a family friend throws the gathering into turmoil, bringing up skeletons from the extended family’s past. Polly experiences dreams that may or may not be memories. The narrative alternates between events from 1968, the repercussions of which extend to the novel’s present. The writing is crisp, the large cast of characters is adeptly drawn, and plot twists and turns like sheets on a laundry line.”
—Grace Harper, Mac’s Backs-Books On Coventry
Read Kirkus Reviews‘ starred review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read Publishers Weekly‘s starred review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
American Booksellers Association announces January 2021 Indie Next List
Read BookPage‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read a story adapted from THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING in Virginia Quarterly Review
Read San Francisco Chronicle‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read Washington Independent Review of Books‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read Jamie Harrison’s interview with Thomas McGuane on Literary Hub
Read Jamie Harrison’s essay “The Importance of Getting Food Right in Fiction” for Literary Hub
Read The Washington Post‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read Missoulian‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read PureWow‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Listen to Jamie Harrison’s interview YPR’s Resounds: Arts and Culture on the High Plains
Read Shelf Awareness‘s review of THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING
Read Jamie Harrison’s interview with Deborah Kalb
Listen to Jamie Harrison’s interview on Montana Public Radio
Jamie Harrison, who has lived in Montana with her family for more than thirty years, has worked as a caterer, a gardener, and an editor. She is the author of five previous novels—the Jules Clement series of mysteries, and The Widow Nash, a finalist for the High Plains Book Award and the winner of the Mountains and Plains Reading the West Award.