I had never heard of the author before seeing this book. The main reason that I wanted to read this was because it was set in Livingston, Montana - a place that I'm obsessed with. And Jamie Harrison did not disappoint! She paints the scenery so perfectly that I can almost close my eyes and picture myself right there. Her descriptive tone flows throughout the story and I found myself at midnight wanting to read "just one more" chapter :) This is one of those novels where I had a book hangover and I miss the characters and think of them long after I turn the last page.

The Center of Everything by Jamie Harrison is a book filled with conflicting thoughts and actions by mother, editor, and cook, Polly Schuster. Polly had suffered a head injury after being hit while riding her bicycle. Oh, I was so angry at the neurologist appointed by the insurance company for the condescending way he treated her memory loss and inability to complete mundane tasks. (He was clearly paid for by the old man who hit Polly)! Polly is an intelligent woman, but since the accident, she is known for inattention during the most important of times. An unexpected glimpse of something may cause her to follow dreams and imaginations in her thoughts for a few seconds. Polly's life becomes more complicated when the babysitter, Ariel, falls from a kayak into the Yellowstone River. Her companion, Graham, manages to make it to the bank with a few scratches and bruises. The search for Ariel or her body continues, and other drownings from Polly's faint memories start to surface. As her extended family gathers at her home to celebrate Maude's 90th birthday, secrets from 1968 become a focus of topic between, Polly, Jane, and Maude.
I appreciated this book more after I had read it and thought about the scenes and family events. In the first third of the book, while I was reading, I felt it was a bit disjointed and did not flow from past to present very well, especially with Polly's confusion of reality and dreaming. I have a family member who has MCI and her actions are so much like Polly's!
Publication Date: June 9, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Center of Everything is a fictional story about family and the secrets it can hold. Polly, the primary character, suffers from a head injury that causes her to flash into a daydreaming state which can be both dangerous and insightful. This is the sixth novel by Jamie Harrison who lives in Montana where this novel takes place.

Polly gets sideswiped by a car while riding her bike and lands squarely on her head. At first there are no symptoms but she quickly loses her orientation and her memory. Doctors do not have a solution so she learns to cope but must be watched in case she loses track of where she is and what she is doing. Her mother comes to help particularly with a family reunion that they are organizing for Polly’s aunt Maude who is about to turn 90. A young friend of the family goes missing on the Yellowstone river and this causes Polly to flash back to memories of her family where there are several incidents associated with water. With these memories several secrets are revealed.

Landscape and water play a large role in the story. Harrison does a masterful job of integrated the beauty and power of the water and how it can sometimes mask the damage done to a person before they enter that environment. In at three cases murders are masked by the power of the water.

Family dynamics are also at the forefront. Over time and generations, family members are called upon to help the injured, the aged and the insane. Support and love of the family is critical the survival of its members.

I find the beginning of the book a bit confusing because we are being introduced to Polly’s malady and many family members at the same time. This makes the beginning of the book a bit cumbersome for me but once the story progresses it all works out.

I enjoy this book because there are many storylines and incidents that are subtly resolved as the novel proceeds. The interaction of all the family members is as complex as it is in real life. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories centred on relationships and family dynamics. I give it a 4 on 5.

I want to thank NetGalley, Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press for providing me with a digital copy of the novel in exchange for a fair review.

THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING is a masterpiece. Harrison drops us into the story of Polly, a thirty-something woman living in Montana and suffering from post-concussive disorder. Because of her head injury, Polly doesn't always process information like the rest of us and her life has taken on a dream-like quality. The story follows Polly as she prepares for the 90th birthday of her great-aunt Maude, a troublesome woman, while simultaneously searching for her friend Ariel, who was lost on the Yellowstone river a few days before and presumed drowned. As Polly begins to reflect on memories of of other dead bodies she encountered as a child, her mother tries to convince her that her memory is unreliable, affected by her brain injury. Harrison's true brilliance comes from her ability to have the reader experience the story as though they too are as disoriented as Polly. THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING is a meandering story, full of details of ordinary life, the significance of which is not revealed until the end. Then we finally understand this fascinating, flawed and utterly wonderful family. It was the most satisfying book I have read in ages.. Now excuse me while I dash off to buy every other book Harrison has written. ...

The Center of Everything by Jamie Harrison is a very interesting novel about family dynamics and secrets amongst them. The book goes back and forth between two time periods, mainly focusing on our main character, Polly who is suffering from a head injury. I enjoyed how descriptive the author is. I really got a sense for Polly, her family, and the beautiful area in which they live. For me, this was more on the historical fiction / contemporary side and was a nice switch from what I usually read.

Thanks to netgalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.