Chapters 1-9

I totally agree with you, Erika, 'The Center of Everything' is a very good book.  It's been hard for me to put it down since I picked it up yesterday!  The first thing that struck me about the book is how Moriarty manages to take us into the mind of a ten year old child; for instance, Evelyn's confusion about what the "Iron Curtain" is and her wondering how Noah managed to feed all the animals on the Ark.  I love that even though an adult woman wrote the book, I really feel like I am inside a young girl's mind.  I also really appreciated all the early eighties references, like how cool Ocean Pacific was and those friendship pin things.  I totally remember those!

The book really reminds me of how painful (and, at the same time, hilarious) adolescence can be. I laughed out loud as I pictured Evelyn and her mom in the run-down Volkswagen that plays Sinatra over and over again while the no-seatbelt alarm dings constantly.  Yet, Evelyn's desire to be popular and her jealousy toward Traci Carmichael show the more painful side of being a pre-teen.  The scene on the bus when Traci claims that Evelyn only won the Science fair because people felt sorry for her, and even the scene at the science fair in Wichita, are pretty tough to read.  Anyone who felt unsure of themselves as a kid, as I'm sure most people did, can totally relate to these scenes.    

The main idea I'm taking away from the novel so far is about family.  Clearly, Evelyn has a tenuous relationship with her mother.  She is embarrassed by her, feels somewhat neglected and is starting to think that she is immoral (at least by the end of chapter 9).  Tina herself has a very strained relationship with her own mother, and is estranged from her father. Nevertheless, there is still an unspoken bond between them all.  I was really struck by the scene when Evelyn and Tina were driving back home after the disastrous visit to the grandparents' house.  They see a flock of birds all flying together in the same crazy pattern, but at the same time the birds seems to be fighting against each other, jockeying for position.  I interpreted this as a symbol for what family life is like.  We are all bound together by this strong connection, but we are constantly "fluttering and flapping on top of one another".  

I am so interested to see where the rest of this novel takes us!