The Center of Everything by Linda Urban

Have you ever made a wish?  Did you blow out the candles on a birthday cake, see a falling star, or find a four-leaf clover, make a wish and wonder if it would come true?  Were there certain things you were supposed to do so your wish would come true?  I think all of us at one point or another in our lives have found ourselves in a similar situation, wishing for something so hard that we believed if only we could do everything the “right way” our wish would come true.  This is the basic premise in the book, The Center of Everything.  Ruby Pepperdine didn’t find a four-leaf clover or wish upon a falling star, but she did mange to sail a quarter through the center of a donut on the statue of Captain Bunning in the center of town.  And that means her wish will come true, right?  The problem is Ruby’s wish is so important she worries that there must be something more she must to do to insure her wish will come true But what?

This novel is written in a unique style.  While the story itself actually takes place throughout the course of only one day, there are several flash backs in which the reader not only learns more about the story but also is introduced to other important characters and subplots.  In fact, although this is a relatively short novel, it should not be read quickly.  There are so many layers to the plot, the characters, the setting, that it reminds me of an onion, no more like a flaky pastry, each layer richer than the last.  There is the story of Ruby and her wish, her friendships, her family relationships, the fascinating history of the donut (I admit I did crave donuts while reading this and had to research the history myself), and the questions that Ruby ultimately asks once she’s come full circle:

“What if there is no supposed to?  What if there is no one way things are meant to be?  What if it is all just random and spinny and wild?”  

                                                                         Ruby Pepperdine, The Center of Everything