Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In this compelling family drama set against the dangerous beauty of Wyoming's Yellowstone, Polly is still trying to get her life back on track after a recent accident, not always trusting reality.
Polly Schuster, an editor and a cook who is recovering from a head injury, finds her way through one chaotic week in July of 2002: a friend drowns, an old woman arrives for a party, and the past gets a second, echoing life in her new brain. Over the course of seven days, Polly comes to understand the truths of her tragic, talented family and the strange events of one year of her childhood in New York--1968--that have defined her current life.
Synopsis
Set against the wild beauty of Montana as a woman attempts to heal from a devastating accident, this generational saga from the award-winning author of The Widow Nash is a heartfelt examination of how the deep bonds of family echo throughout our lives. For Polly, the small town of Livingston, Montana, is a land charmed by raw, natural beauty and a close network of family that extends back generations. But the summer of 2002 finds Polly at a crossroads: a recent head injury has scattered her perception of the present, bringing to the surface long-forgotten events. As Polly's many relatives arrive for a family reunion during the Fourth of July holiday, a beloved friend goes missing on the Yellowstone River. Search parties comb the river as carefully as Polly combs her mind, and over the course of one fateful week, Polly arrives at a deeper understanding of herself and her larger-than-life relatives. Weaving together the past and the present, from the shores of Long Island Sound to the landscape of Montana, The Center of Everything examines with profound insight the memories and touchstones that make up a life and what we must endure along the way.