Centre of My World
by Andreas Steinhofel
It was hard book to find, since it was written in German and
recently translated into English, but I found a copy of it, and I’m glad I
did. Centre of My World by Andreas Steinhofel is a really good book that I
could not put down. Glass, a
seventeen-year-old who is 8 ½ months pregnant, abruptly leaves America and goes
to a remote part of Europe to move in with her older sister, who owns an old
mansion. As she approaches the mansion,
she falls down and begins experiencing contractions, delivering a set of twins
(Phil and Dianne) in the midst of the winter eve. She is found by a woman, a lawyer assigned to
find the mansion’s owner as the sister has died. Now the story begins….The mystery surrounding
Glass and her children coming to the new town, the strange people who inhabit
the area, the people who befriend Glass, and the stories of Phil and Dianne
growing up. The author’s device of
returning to earlier aspects of the story to fill in what we don’t know works
well. The family dynamics between Glass and
her children and learning who their father is becomes an ongoing issue that
plays a role in Phil’s development. Phil
is the protagonist of the story and his friendships, need for a father figure,
and understanding his sexuality, and learning to love are all beautifully
presented. Phil’s relationship with a
mysterious classmate, Nicholas, and what happens when his best friend, Katja, learns
of his budding sexual relationship turns into jealousy and an unexpected outcome. So much in this book, great character
development, real family drama and love, jealousy, envy, and secrets. This is one of the books you pick up with low
expectations and end up changed a bit because of what you experienced. Growing up is never easy, but unanswered
questions about your history make it all the more difficult. Glad they decided to translate this one to
English. I see this as a new AP English
book for high schoolers! Very good book that
keeps you guessing throughout. It never
is as you think it will be.
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