At the Center - by Lara Tupper (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A burned-out teacher leaves New York City--and her abusive alcoholic partner--for the Center, a bucolic retreat compound, where, despite a nationwide paper ban, she's forced to secretly document her past in notebooks and reinvent her story on paper for future generations.Synopsis: Trapped in a dead-end teaching job, a toxic relationship, and a cramped Manhattan apartment, Koö gon abandons it all for the Center: a secluded compound devoted to yoga, " empathic studies," and the secret preservation of banned books.At first, the Center seems like a sanctuary-- but Koö gon uncovers a thrilling secret. Amid nationwide paper bans, the Center maintains a black-market cache of blank notebooks, and Koö gon must decide whether it is safe to leave her story for future generations.Blending rich characterization with psychological complexity, At the Center reckons with the loss of printed material, the climate crisis, and the destabilizing rise of AI. At its heart, it is a visceral, courageous meditation on the power and risk of telling one's story-- out loud and on paper.

About the Author

Lara Tupper is the author of three previous works of fiction: Amphibians (Leapfrog Global Fiction Award), Off Island (finalist, Housatonic Book Award), and A Thousand and One Nights. She has performed around the world as a jazz/folk vocalist, taught at Rutgers University, and is founder of Swift Ink Stories (writing workshops and book coaching). Born in Maine, she now writes, sings, and raises hens in Western Massachusetts. Join her writing community at laratupper.substack.com