Evelyn Bucknow, the narrator of Laurie Moriarty's novel, "The Center of Everything," is 11-years-old at the beginning of the novel. Describing her experiences as she steps into her teenage years, we learn of Evelyn and her mother's desperate financial circumstance; an affair with a married man that leaves Tina, Evelyn's mother, pregnant; Evelyn's first love, and the myriad ups and downs on the rollercoaster of growing up.I picked this novel up because it was on sale and it sounded vaguely entertaining. I had no idea that I would become so attached and care so much about the characters in this book. Moriarty crafts Evelyn's voice in such a way that she bursts from the pages and into the lap of the reader. Her emotions are so true, and palpable, that it is hard not to cry when she cries. "The Center of Everything" is a posivitely brilliant novel that the reader will be sad to finish.I highly recommend this book.