Polyarinov A. Center of Gravity: [novel] / Alexey Polyarinov. — 3rd ed. — Moscow: Alpina Non-Fiction, 2025. — 526 p. ISBN 978-5-00139-841-7 "Center of Gravity" is the debut novel of Alexey Polyarinov, writer and translator of D. F. Wallace, a specialist in American postmodernism. This novel is about current issues — the development of IT technologies and their unpredictable consequences, contemporary art, and the confrontation between humans and the system. Its protagonists grew up in the 1990s. The book opens with a story told from the perspective of a boy named Petro: first friendship and affection, school problems, a detective story searching for a mysterious lake; magical tales told by his mother form an integral part of the narrative. Then new narrators appear — his brother Egor, their stepsister Marina, friend Grek — each possessing their own distinct viewpoint on events. The text is interspersed with fragments of manuscripts and interviews. The story rapidly transforms from a family saga into a dystopia with cyberpunk elements. Experimenting with form and structure, creating a novel within a novel, the author ultimately unites all plotlines, and the mosaic tapestry becomes a complete picture. This edition includes the author's preface. UDC 821.161.1-311.1 BBK 84(2=411.2)6-444