At the Center of Things

By James Wells

A Novel of Longing, Liminal Lives, and Suburban Trivialities

In a quiet neighborhood stitched together by book clubs and tennis matches, lawyer Harold Fenton begins to feel the edges of his life fray. His marriage is cordial but faded, his routines well-worn, and the spark of connection flickers dangerously close to ash. But when a neighbor's vividness and magnetism catches him, Harold is pulled into the gentle undertow of possibility, regret, and emotional trespass.

Told in rich, introspective prose with heartbreaking clarity, At the Center of Things charts one man's reckoning with middle age, marriage, and the complex architecture of yearning. This is not a tale of adultery, but one of attention-of who we see, and who sees us in return.

Perfect for readers of Elizabeth Strout, John Cheever, or Kent Haruf, this short novel is a meditation on desire quietly kindled and the quiet heroism of choosing to stay.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FM8SNKQL
• ISBN13: 9798297854161
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"