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The Centre
In this “dazzling” speculative debut, a London-based Pakistani translator furthers her stalled career by attending a mysterious language school that boasts near-instant fluency—but at a secret, sinister cost (Gillian Flynn)
Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of “great works of literature,” but mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood movies and living off her parents’ generous allowance. Adding to her growing sense of inadequacy, her mediocre white boyfriend, Adam, has successfully leveraged his savant-level aptitude for languages into an enviable career. But when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam begrudgingly tells her about The Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees complete fluency in any language, in just ten days. This sounds, to Anisa, like a step toward the life she’s always wanted. Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she enrolls and undergoes The Centre’s strange and rigorous processes. But as Anisa enmeshes herself further within the organization, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the hidden cost of its services. By turns darkly comic and surreal, and with twists as page-turning as they are shocking, The Centre journeys through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interro-gating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation along the way. Through Anisa’s addictive tale of striving and self-actualization, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi ultimately asks the reader: What is the real price we pay in our scramble to the center?
Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of “great works of literature,” but mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood movies and living off her parents’ generous allowance. Adding to her growing sense of inadequacy, her mediocre white boyfriend, Adam, has successfully leveraged his savant-level aptitude for languages into an enviable career. But when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam begrudgingly tells her about The Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees complete fluency in any language, in just ten days. This sounds, to Anisa, like a step toward the life she’s always wanted. Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she enrolls and undergoes The Centre’s strange and rigorous processes. But as Anisa enmeshes herself further within the organization, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the hidden cost of its services. By turns darkly comic and surreal, and with twists as page-turning as they are shocking, The Centre journeys through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interro-gating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation along the way. Through Anisa’s addictive tale of striving and self-actualization, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi ultimately asks the reader: What is the real price we pay in our scramble to the center?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2023
About the author
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
2 books190 followersAyesha Manazir Siddiqi is a writer, editor, and translator. Her essays and reviews have appeared in publications including the Independent, CeaseFire Magazine, The Theatre Times, Wasafiri, Media Diversified, and the Express Tribune. Her fiction has been published online and in anthologies by Peepal Tree Press, Oberon books, Influx Press, Tilted Axis Press, and EMC. Her plays and monologues have had rehearsed readings and stagings at venues including the Rich Mix, Theatre 503 and the Tristan Bates theatre in London, and the Impact Hub in Birmingham, and she’s also written for BBC Radio 4. Recently, Ayesha was contributing editor for the Serial/New York Times podcast, The Trojan Horse Affair, and her debut novel The Centre is being published by Picador (UK) and Gillian Flynn Books / Zando Projects (US) in Summer 2023. Ayesha is from Karachi and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,605 reviews
July 13, 2023
Took an edible & read this and it blew my mind.
July 17, 2023
1.5/5. I've been contemplating this review for a month. As a Pakistani Muslim I had high hopes for this book. When zando first revealed it, I was SO EXCITED. A Pakistani Muslim author? I was ready to champion this book. But boy was this the biggest let down of the year, and probably the worst book I've read so far for 2023. A big screw you to Zando for letting all the offensive horrible crap in this book slide.
Keep in mind that I was prepared to let the usual liberal stuff regarding Muslim rep slide because I didn't go into this expecting religious Muslim rep. As long as there was nothing islamophobic or blasphemous, I was ready to just sit back and enjoy the ride. But no - it pains me to rip apart a fellow pakistani book. But man was this book BAD.
The first 30%-40% of this book was easy 4/5 The prose is good enough - nothing special, but she nailed the voice down and that's what matters to me. There is a lot of tell rather than show which doesn’t suit a novel well though. But the commentary about translation, about pakistani identity, colonialism, feminism, all the social commentary in conjunction with the unreliable narration was thoughtful. Don't get me wrong - you will NOT like this MC. She is the definition of privilege and screwing shit up around her and not having to work hard in her life, being among the Karachi elite, and not knowing the true immigrant struggle of being poor and making ends meet but still complaining all woe is me and making others out to be the villians - but somehow, through the commentary, you empathize with her regardless. She is definitely an unlikeable female MC.
I will note that the class commentary was non existent or just downright terrible. Which is ironic given how deeply it intersects with everything I listed above - given how ignorant and privileged our MC is, it makes sense but didn’t feel deliberate in being left out. And you notice this prominent flaw REALLY glaringly when the twist is revealed. The fact that class commentary is not interrogated deeper is kinda crazy in context of the whole book.
But yes, at times it felt like the author was having almost an identity crisis in this first half where she wasn't sure what to hone and focus her commentary on, so she tried to do it all, in a meandering manner. She just decided to comment on anything and everything. Retrospectively looking back now that I've contemplated book, it shows a lack of maturity in the craft. It almost worked, in this first 30-40%. But nevertheless, still a very compelling read.
What really pissed me off in this first part of the book and made me drop a whole star just from the scene is the extremely blasphemy regarding Islam. Now look, this MC is NOT practicing at all. she drinks, dates, and has sex, etc, which I did NOT CARE about. I was OKAY with it. I did not go into this expecting anything religious, as long as it wasn't blasphemous. I don't expect most pakistanis to be religious, and this was never marketed as Muslim rep, hence I won't assume for the author. So again I was fine with ALL of the above.
But for the scene I'll be talking about-how the HELL did the publisher not catch this? I don't care how religious you are or not as a Muslim - put the bare minimum respect to Islam if you choose to include Islam in the book. Keep your internalized islamophobia to yourself. Even less practicing Muslims know not to do this. Essentially what happened is that the best friend of the MC is into divination and scrying and weird actual ritualistic manifestation shit. She has the MC partake in some candle lit circle of manifestation. I was side eyeing this but willing to let it slide as long as Islam was not mixed in it. But then the MC and the best friend who is apparently also Muslim, say "inshallah" aka "By Allah's will" IN the ritual. She also says "ameen". That is blasphemy because we consider manifestation rituals & anything with divination, Black Magic. Black Magic is among the most forbidden disgusting things in the lens of Islam because it is seeking help through supernatural means which is automatically "shirk" aka associating partners with Allah/God. It is the MOST unforgiveable sin. So every Muslim, even the least knowledgeable ones stay away from it because we were told spooky stories about it growing up & know how grave it is. It's blasphemy and I promise you, NO muslim or pakistani reader asked for this rep. Don't mix Islam into your weird western dumb divination shit. You could have your character do it WITHOUT any Islam. Like I just want to shake the author and ask why? What drove her to do this? Islam has its own designated prayers. Why is she trying to change the religion for fucks sake? did she not have a single sensitivity reader? keep inshallah out of your goddamn divination black magic shit.
Now despite this bullshit, I was willing to only drop 0.5-1 stars, and block it out of my mind to read on. I wanted to just focus on the content of the story because I wanted to love and enjoy this book, because I loved the story itself so far. But no. The story itself went to crap. It's hard to believe Gillian Flynn, my favourite author of all time, acquired something this horribly plotted with such a bad book identity crisis.
The actual Centre itself, stopped being the focus of the story. In fact, the main plot twist of the Centre and the big secret, was so damn predictable I just wanted to stop reading the second it happened. But what sucked even more was that even though I guessed the plot twist, it was such a sickening weird dumb plot twist, I PRAYED it wouldn't be it. Of course it was. And after the MC finds out the plot twist, you'd think she'd react more or DO something. You'd think it would become the focus of the story given how BIG AND MAJOR it is. But no. This bitch did NOTHING. she had such zero agency I was baffled. It’s never deeply interrogated or resolved or confronted to a large scope again. It’s just khalas moved on, done, good bye. Something so big and disturbing yet with so much potential to shape a plot and book - it’s so under used I can’t even wrap my mind around it. This had potential to turn into GET OUT type stuff. But NOPE! The book just forgets it’s own central device, moves on and becomes the flattest meandering RANDOM storyline. It was like she forgot the commentary and book was a vehicle for the plot and now the book is just a vehicle for random meandering commentary.
So all the tension in the book just poofed, disappeared. All we got was some shallow possible romantic relationship that was so poorly done and made me hate both of them because of their personalities and actions towards each other, it made me want to claw my eyes out, and very random commentary about everything and anything EXCEPT the main central plot plot. And from here on out, we got what I mentioned before: a major identity crisis of a book.
That's how I would summarize this book: an identity crisis. After that 40% mark, all we get is very random colonialism and feminism commentary but then it contradicts itself a lot too. Some of the commentary made me side eye the author like crazy from how weird and low key offensive it was. For example. she gave us good commentary about islamophobia and bollywood and racism of Indians towards other south asians. At the same time, the MC visits Delhi, India, and comments how she feels so much safer here than in Karachi Pakistan, and goes on about how unsafe karachi is. In the same breath she remarks how she feels for her muslim brothers and sisters for facing genocidal state-sanctioned violence by the Modi-Indian government. Bitch??? so YOU feel safe in Delhi because you're with a rich ass family & not a hijabi, but use your privileged experience to paint delhi with that one brush, making it out to be this paradise of safety (again using YOUR own experience), while describing how horrible karachi is? But then you say that oh but the muslims here face hell in Delhi because of the genocidal policies, like ?? do you not see how contradictory that is? how does that make Delhi safer or better than Karachi then?! Man I wanted to slap this MC and shred this book. Anyone even remotely informed on indian & south asian politics would know what I'm talking about & how backwards/contradictory this commentary was. Again, where was the sensitivity reader?
After this, something big happens to the MC - something which was entirely unnecessary for this book. I'm all for sexual assault being normalized in books, but it was so poorly done and rushed and forced into this one, I just hated how it was handled. It was so crassly thrown in and moved on from and done such injustice. The commentary was not even real commentary - it was an identity crisis in itself because the author decides to detail it but then she quite literally comments saying along the lines of "oh but did it actually happen? maybe it didn't. you'll never know" as a creative choice but really it was the literary equivalent of trying to be edgy and quirky and different for the sake of “art” but really it’s pretentious and weird as fuck for the sake of shallow on the nose feminist commentary. Just because it’s “different” doesn’t mean it’s “good” or automatically “literary”.
Like do survivors justice and make up your damn mind. Sexual assault is not a light subject to just broach for some damn artistic narrative choices. Not to mention, the way it played out felt like complete character assassination. At this point, you just forget the actual Centre is even a thing because again this was so crassly thrown in and diverted any plot and reaction to the Centre & its predictable but disturbing plot twist. It was like reading a different book at this point. It felt like the author was trying to do EVERYTHING but only scraping the surface level of everything. I wish the action was intertwined with the book and its themes and plots but it wasn't. It shouldn't have been in there because it led to no where. Instead, it made me hate the side characters and the book even more.
Oh and don't get me started on the Israel shit! Basically, the Centre is founded by an Indian, a British man, an American, and an Israeli. The Israeli by the way, is described as being a former IDF solider meaning, he actively partook in israel's genocidal occupying army. I was intrigued by this choice because I assumed she'd make good use of this symbolism of four genocidal nationalist identities starting a horrible Centre together and link it to ongoing colonialism. But no - not ONCE did she make ANY COMMENTARY ABOUT THIS! Like HUH!? you make random meandering commentary about the fucking clothes and shit but not the literal colonial superpowers?! In fact, you have Israel & America & Britian in there too, it should be so easy! But no - instead she EMPATHIZES WITH THE ISRAELI. I hate it here! I literally wanted to scream. Basically something happens to the Israeli that I won't spoil and then MC decides to make "dua" aka islamic prayer for him. I was like EXCUSE ME!?? In case you guys didn't know, Pakistan is one of the only countries in the world where Israelis are banned from entering and vice versa - we are illegal in each others countries because pakistan's entire personality is shitting on Israel for their genocide/occupation of Palestine.
But no - not once did she ever say a bad word against this dude in the entire book. Just praises him, says how she sympathizes with him and recites an islamic prayer for him. I was so angry and offended. where the FUCK was the sensitivity reader? Not only is it bad enough that a pakistani is empathizing with an Israeli, but you’re reading our sacred islamic prayer for an occupier former genociding IDF soldier? I was raging when I read that. Makes me ashamed and embarrassed to see a pakistani book and character sympathize with israel this way. Like girlie you were giving such nuanced commentary about India, but not ISRAEL?! India's literal BFF and twin in foreign policy?! someone revoke this book's pakistani card please. The lack of brain cells made me want to scream.
As for the rest of the book, there is none because the book, I shit you not, ends smack dab in the middle of a scene without any resolution. FYI there isn’t a sequel - this book is advertised as standalone - before someone tries to come at me. It just ended, the end. No closure, no nothing. It was clearly an "artistic" choice where once again she was trying to be quirky and different and edgy.
Anyways I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you do somehow pick it up, please DNF after the "secret" of the centre is revealed because after that, it's a total trainwreck and you will hate yourself for reading on. Definitely one of the worst books of this year. I wanna know what all these raving reviewers are on but then again, most of them are white so I’m not surprised they ate this up with all the offensive BS. And shame on the publisher for not prioritizing any research or sensitivity reading for the offensive shit in here.
Keep in mind that I was prepared to let the usual liberal stuff regarding Muslim rep slide because I didn't go into this expecting religious Muslim rep. As long as there was nothing islamophobic or blasphemous, I was ready to just sit back and enjoy the ride. But no - it pains me to rip apart a fellow pakistani book. But man was this book BAD.
The first 30%-40% of this book was easy 4/5 The prose is good enough - nothing special, but she nailed the voice down and that's what matters to me. There is a lot of tell rather than show which doesn’t suit a novel well though. But the commentary about translation, about pakistani identity, colonialism, feminism, all the social commentary in conjunction with the unreliable narration was thoughtful. Don't get me wrong - you will NOT like this MC. She is the definition of privilege and screwing shit up around her and not having to work hard in her life, being among the Karachi elite, and not knowing the true immigrant struggle of being poor and making ends meet but still complaining all woe is me and making others out to be the villians - but somehow, through the commentary, you empathize with her regardless. She is definitely an unlikeable female MC.
I will note that the class commentary was non existent or just downright terrible. Which is ironic given how deeply it intersects with everything I listed above - given how ignorant and privileged our MC is, it makes sense but didn’t feel deliberate in being left out. And you notice this prominent flaw REALLY glaringly when the twist is revealed. The fact that class commentary is not interrogated deeper is kinda crazy in context of the whole book.
But yes, at times it felt like the author was having almost an identity crisis in this first half where she wasn't sure what to hone and focus her commentary on, so she tried to do it all, in a meandering manner. She just decided to comment on anything and everything. Retrospectively looking back now that I've contemplated book, it shows a lack of maturity in the craft. It almost worked, in this first 30-40%. But nevertheless, still a very compelling read.
What really pissed me off in this first part of the book and made me drop a whole star just from the scene is the extremely blasphemy regarding Islam. Now look, this MC is NOT practicing at all. she drinks, dates, and has sex, etc, which I did NOT CARE about. I was OKAY with it. I did not go into this expecting anything religious, as long as it wasn't blasphemous. I don't expect most pakistanis to be religious, and this was never marketed as Muslim rep, hence I won't assume for the author. So again I was fine with ALL of the above.
But for the scene I'll be talking about-how the HELL did the publisher not catch this? I don't care how religious you are or not as a Muslim - put the bare minimum respect to Islam if you choose to include Islam in the book. Keep your internalized islamophobia to yourself. Even less practicing Muslims know not to do this. Essentially what happened is that the best friend of the MC is into divination and scrying and weird actual ritualistic manifestation shit. She has the MC partake in some candle lit circle of manifestation. I was side eyeing this but willing to let it slide as long as Islam was not mixed in it. But then the MC and the best friend who is apparently also Muslim, say "inshallah" aka "By Allah's will" IN the ritual. She also says "ameen". That is blasphemy because we consider manifestation rituals & anything with divination, Black Magic. Black Magic is among the most forbidden disgusting things in the lens of Islam because it is seeking help through supernatural means which is automatically "shirk" aka associating partners with Allah/God. It is the MOST unforgiveable sin. So every Muslim, even the least knowledgeable ones stay away from it because we were told spooky stories about it growing up & know how grave it is. It's blasphemy and I promise you, NO muslim or pakistani reader asked for this rep. Don't mix Islam into your weird western dumb divination shit. You could have your character do it WITHOUT any Islam. Like I just want to shake the author and ask why? What drove her to do this? Islam has its own designated prayers. Why is she trying to change the religion for fucks sake? did she not have a single sensitivity reader? keep inshallah out of your goddamn divination black magic shit.
Now despite this bullshit, I was willing to only drop 0.5-1 stars, and block it out of my mind to read on. I wanted to just focus on the content of the story because I wanted to love and enjoy this book, because I loved the story itself so far. But no. The story itself went to crap. It's hard to believe Gillian Flynn, my favourite author of all time, acquired something this horribly plotted with such a bad book identity crisis.
The actual Centre itself, stopped being the focus of the story. In fact, the main plot twist of the Centre and the big secret, was so damn predictable I just wanted to stop reading the second it happened. But what sucked even more was that even though I guessed the plot twist, it was such a sickening weird dumb plot twist, I PRAYED it wouldn't be it. Of course it was. And after the MC finds out the plot twist, you'd think she'd react more or DO something. You'd think it would become the focus of the story given how BIG AND MAJOR it is. But no. This bitch did NOTHING. she had such zero agency I was baffled. It’s never deeply interrogated or resolved or confronted to a large scope again. It’s just khalas moved on, done, good bye. Something so big and disturbing yet with so much potential to shape a plot and book - it’s so under used I can’t even wrap my mind around it. This had potential to turn into GET OUT type stuff. But NOPE! The book just forgets it’s own central device, moves on and becomes the flattest meandering RANDOM storyline. It was like she forgot the commentary and book was a vehicle for the plot and now the book is just a vehicle for random meandering commentary.
So all the tension in the book just poofed, disappeared. All we got was some shallow possible romantic relationship that was so poorly done and made me hate both of them because of their personalities and actions towards each other, it made me want to claw my eyes out, and very random commentary about everything and anything EXCEPT the main central plot plot. And from here on out, we got what I mentioned before: a major identity crisis of a book.
That's how I would summarize this book: an identity crisis. After that 40% mark, all we get is very random colonialism and feminism commentary but then it contradicts itself a lot too. Some of the commentary made me side eye the author like crazy from how weird and low key offensive it was. For example. she gave us good commentary about islamophobia and bollywood and racism of Indians towards other south asians. At the same time, the MC visits Delhi, India, and comments how she feels so much safer here than in Karachi Pakistan, and goes on about how unsafe karachi is. In the same breath she remarks how she feels for her muslim brothers and sisters for facing genocidal state-sanctioned violence by the Modi-Indian government. Bitch??? so YOU feel safe in Delhi because you're with a rich ass family & not a hijabi, but use your privileged experience to paint delhi with that one brush, making it out to be this paradise of safety (again using YOUR own experience), while describing how horrible karachi is? But then you say that oh but the muslims here face hell in Delhi because of the genocidal policies, like ?? do you not see how contradictory that is? how does that make Delhi safer or better than Karachi then?! Man I wanted to slap this MC and shred this book. Anyone even remotely informed on indian & south asian politics would know what I'm talking about & how backwards/contradictory this commentary was. Again, where was the sensitivity reader?
After this, something big happens to the MC - something which was entirely unnecessary for this book. I'm all for sexual assault being normalized in books, but it was so poorly done and rushed and forced into this one, I just hated how it was handled. It was so crassly thrown in and moved on from and done such injustice. The commentary was not even real commentary - it was an identity crisis in itself because the author decides to detail it but then she quite literally comments saying along the lines of "oh but did it actually happen? maybe it didn't. you'll never know" as a creative choice but really it was the literary equivalent of trying to be edgy and quirky and different for the sake of “art” but really it’s pretentious and weird as fuck for the sake of shallow on the nose feminist commentary. Just because it’s “different” doesn’t mean it’s “good” or automatically “literary”.
Like do survivors justice and make up your damn mind. Sexual assault is not a light subject to just broach for some damn artistic narrative choices. Not to mention, the way it played out felt like complete character assassination. At this point, you just forget the actual Centre is even a thing because again this was so crassly thrown in and diverted any plot and reaction to the Centre & its predictable but disturbing plot twist. It was like reading a different book at this point. It felt like the author was trying to do EVERYTHING but only scraping the surface level of everything. I wish the action was intertwined with the book and its themes and plots but it wasn't. It shouldn't have been in there because it led to no where. Instead, it made me hate the side characters and the book even more.
Oh and don't get me started on the Israel shit! Basically, the Centre is founded by an Indian, a British man, an American, and an Israeli. The Israeli by the way, is described as being a former IDF solider meaning, he actively partook in israel's genocidal occupying army. I was intrigued by this choice because I assumed she'd make good use of this symbolism of four genocidal nationalist identities starting a horrible Centre together and link it to ongoing colonialism. But no - not ONCE did she make ANY COMMENTARY ABOUT THIS! Like HUH!? you make random meandering commentary about the fucking clothes and shit but not the literal colonial superpowers?! In fact, you have Israel & America & Britian in there too, it should be so easy! But no - instead she EMPATHIZES WITH THE ISRAELI. I hate it here! I literally wanted to scream. Basically something happens to the Israeli that I won't spoil and then MC decides to make "dua" aka islamic prayer for him. I was like EXCUSE ME!?? In case you guys didn't know, Pakistan is one of the only countries in the world where Israelis are banned from entering and vice versa - we are illegal in each others countries because pakistan's entire personality is shitting on Israel for their genocide/occupation of Palestine.
But no - not once did she ever say a bad word against this dude in the entire book. Just praises him, says how she sympathizes with him and recites an islamic prayer for him. I was so angry and offended. where the FUCK was the sensitivity reader? Not only is it bad enough that a pakistani is empathizing with an Israeli, but you’re reading our sacred islamic prayer for an occupier former genociding IDF soldier? I was raging when I read that. Makes me ashamed and embarrassed to see a pakistani book and character sympathize with israel this way. Like girlie you were giving such nuanced commentary about India, but not ISRAEL?! India's literal BFF and twin in foreign policy?! someone revoke this book's pakistani card please. The lack of brain cells made me want to scream.
As for the rest of the book, there is none because the book, I shit you not, ends smack dab in the middle of a scene without any resolution. FYI there isn’t a sequel - this book is advertised as standalone - before someone tries to come at me. It just ended, the end. No closure, no nothing. It was clearly an "artistic" choice where once again she was trying to be quirky and different and edgy.
Anyways I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you do somehow pick it up, please DNF after the "secret" of the centre is revealed because after that, it's a total trainwreck and you will hate yourself for reading on. Definitely one of the worst books of this year. I wanna know what all these raving reviewers are on but then again, most of them are white so I’m not surprised they ate this up with all the offensive BS. And shame on the publisher for not prioritizing any research or sensitivity reading for the offensive shit in here.
July 10, 2023
If Babel and The Last Tale of the Flower Bride had a 30-something lit fic baby with a dark side, this book would be it. The Centre blends gothic horror and modern dark academia in a slow-burn, character-driven literary novel with a dark sense of humor.
This book tackles some of the same issues that Babel did, but with much more skillful character work and nuance that trusts the reader to put some of the pieces together for themselves. It's a book interested in language, translation, misogyny, colonization, class privilege, and cultural appropriation. But it's much more subtle. There is also a darkly obsessive female friendship with strong erotic undertones and this gothic vibe that reminds me of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The more I think about it, the more I like it and there are layers that can be unpacked.
Anisa is a Pakistani woman living in London, mostly supported by her wealthy parents and trying to find her way in her 30's. Then her boyfriend tells her about The Centre- a highly confidential and mysterious language school that promises fluency in a language of your choice in only 10 days. Anisa is intrigued and dreams of learning German so that she can translate real literature and find success. But there is a cost to learning that might be higher than she expects...
I really enjoyed this book and loved how skillfully it wove together complex themes while creating a main character who feels very real and very flawed. Savvier readers might put things together earlier than I did, but it was a great experience getting to some revelations and then looking back to see all the clues pointing in that direction. I think it's really well-executed and not trying to trick the reader. It gets weird and dark, but I also understood why the characters made the choices they did. Really fun book. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
This book tackles some of the same issues that Babel did, but with much more skillful character work and nuance that trusts the reader to put some of the pieces together for themselves. It's a book interested in language, translation, misogyny, colonization, class privilege, and cultural appropriation. But it's much more subtle. There is also a darkly obsessive female friendship with strong erotic undertones and this gothic vibe that reminds me of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. The more I think about it, the more I like it and there are layers that can be unpacked.
Anisa is a Pakistani woman living in London, mostly supported by her wealthy parents and trying to find her way in her 30's. Then her boyfriend tells her about The Centre- a highly confidential and mysterious language school that promises fluency in a language of your choice in only 10 days. Anisa is intrigued and dreams of learning German so that she can translate real literature and find success. But there is a cost to learning that might be higher than she expects...
I really enjoyed this book and loved how skillfully it wove together complex themes while creating a main character who feels very real and very flawed. Savvier readers might put things together earlier than I did, but it was a great experience getting to some revelations and then looking back to see all the clues pointing in that direction. I think it's really well-executed and not trying to trick the reader. It gets weird and dark, but I also understood why the characters made the choices they did. Really fun book. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
September 28, 2024
Ahhhh, I loved this so much more than I thought I would. This story is such a slow burn, but I really connected with the protagonist and the writing style and the concept is fascinating!!! The Centre is this mysteriously place where you can pay a price to learn a new language within 10 days, but it’s very private and hush hush and invite only. I love weird stories like this with a unique concept. The writing was so freaking good, there were so many great quotes about language and translation and why it matters so much. This book was also packed full of great social commentary like this:
“gratitude and admiration when a white person speaks a non-white language, and only contempt and indignation for non-white people who don’t speak English”
I loved the discussion about female friendships and how friendships can be just as important as romantic relationships even though they are never celebrated in the same way. This quote about friendships: “the slow burning love of female friendship keeps the world turning” just really meant a lot to me.
I was really moved by so many thought provoking quotes like this:
“There can be something quite devastating in feeling a comfort you can barely remember. It can make you grieve, if I’m honest, for something that you’d always felt a vague sense of loss over but never know for certain you were missing.”
This book was exactly the kind of weird I like in my horror books, it had great atmosphere. I think if you enjoyed Catherine House or Natural Beauty, I would put those in the same category as this book! 🖤
“gratitude and admiration when a white person speaks a non-white language, and only contempt and indignation for non-white people who don’t speak English”
I loved the discussion about female friendships and how friendships can be just as important as romantic relationships even though they are never celebrated in the same way. This quote about friendships: “the slow burning love of female friendship keeps the world turning” just really meant a lot to me.
I was really moved by so many thought provoking quotes like this:
“There can be something quite devastating in feeling a comfort you can barely remember. It can make you grieve, if I’m honest, for something that you’d always felt a vague sense of loss over but never know for certain you were missing.”
This book was exactly the kind of weird I like in my horror books, it had great atmosphere. I think if you enjoyed Catherine House or Natural Beauty, I would put those in the same category as this book! 🖤
August 17, 2023
I generally don't ask the question, "How was this published?" often, but I will ask it today. The premise is so compelling that I placed an order as soon as I discovered the book. Now I'm $24 poorer and have wasted three and a half hours of my life reading something that I could have written in seventh grade.
This book is not a thriller. Despite being titled 'The Centre,' we spend little time in that setting, and the author chooses to breeze past anything that could involve tension or intrigue to instead focus on our lifeless protagonist's first-world problems and insufferable internal monologue. The author chooses to write pages and multiple paragraphs on the carving of a roast chicken, or a house's furnishings. Yet, our two visits to the Centre are barely 20% of the book, with even that time spent less on learning about the Centre, and more on the protagonist's self-pitying. And even the little storytelling that did involve the Centre was so poorly executed. The organization's main rule of absolute secrecy, which could be penalized by a million-pound fine and jail time, was broken as soon as the protagonist found out about it. But she suffers no consequences for this... so, what was the fucking point? The Centre serves as a hook to draw the audience in, but make no mistake: the Centre is merely window dressing for a 270-page long rant on whatever the author wanted to rant about.
I appreciate when storytelling incorporates social themes within the narrative, and the writer does touch on a myriad of issues: feminism, colonialism, class, Islamophobia, and immigration. But instead of intelligently weaving these important issues into the narrative, we are made to sit through countless PSAs inserted randomly throughout the book, often in places where it felt jarring, nonsensical. And none of the issues the author tries to force feed down our throats feel sincere; her discussions of them often felt like a regurgitation of buzz words found on Tumblr, rather than any meaningful engagement with the topics. This is coming from someone who is the exact demographic of our protagonist, mind you. Pakistani, Muslim, immigrant, woman. The struggles I face every day being represented on the page in the most superficial, token-y way was insulting.
I touched on this before, but the pacing is absolutely horrendous. Even setting aside the fact that the Centre barely features in the book, the book focuses on the most pointless, useless aspects of our protagonist's life. The entire first quarter of the book is spent setting up a relationship with a man who is not important to the story. It could have been cut into a prologue, that's how pointless it was. While countless pages are spent describing clothing (I had to read about the protagonist putting on a navy blue halter top and black skinny jeans like it's a Wattpad story) and asinine conversations between the characters, our protagonist writes a translation, gets published, and becomes famous in one (1) paragraph. Why? Her entire motivation is to translate great works of literature, and five seconds are spent on that plot point.
Speaking of our protagonist, she is absolutely awful. I love unlikable characters; I think if they're pulled off well, they are some of the most complex, most memorable characters in fiction. And yes, Anisa is meant to be unlikable. But for an unlikable character to work, there must be something else that still makes the audience root for them, or at least care what happens to them. This can be done through compelling side characters and showing our protagonist's effect on them. Or through a particularly well-crafted narrative arc for the character that keeps the reader interested, despite not liking said character. There is none of that here. Instead, we are made to sit through 270 pages following Anisa, a privileged, shallow, hypocritical, shockingly judgmental, awful human being who spends the whole book pitying herself for no reason. Even when other characters call her on her bullshit, she sweeps it under the rug and it's never brought up again.
And finally, the prose. The only compliment I have for the book is that it was easy to read. But the only reason it was easy to read was because the prose is juvenile to the point that it made me laugh out loud at several points. Anisa is supposedly a character who reads and strives to translate great works of literature, so it is especially amusing that the first-person prose feels like it was lifted from the journal of a fourteen year old. So again, I ask, "How was this published?"
I usually don't write reviews as mean as this, but when you publish trash, expect it to be treated as such.
This book is not a thriller. Despite being titled 'The Centre,' we spend little time in that setting, and the author chooses to breeze past anything that could involve tension or intrigue to instead focus on our lifeless protagonist's first-world problems and insufferable internal monologue. The author chooses to write pages and multiple paragraphs on the carving of a roast chicken, or a house's furnishings. Yet, our two visits to the Centre are barely 20% of the book, with even that time spent less on learning about the Centre, and more on the protagonist's self-pitying. And even the little storytelling that did involve the Centre was so poorly executed. The organization's main rule of absolute secrecy, which could be penalized by a million-pound fine and jail time, was broken as soon as the protagonist found out about it. But she suffers no consequences for this... so, what was the fucking point? The Centre serves as a hook to draw the audience in, but make no mistake: the Centre is merely window dressing for a 270-page long rant on whatever the author wanted to rant about.
I appreciate when storytelling incorporates social themes within the narrative, and the writer does touch on a myriad of issues: feminism, colonialism, class, Islamophobia, and immigration. But instead of intelligently weaving these important issues into the narrative, we are made to sit through countless PSAs inserted randomly throughout the book, often in places where it felt jarring, nonsensical. And none of the issues the author tries to force feed down our throats feel sincere; her discussions of them often felt like a regurgitation of buzz words found on Tumblr, rather than any meaningful engagement with the topics. This is coming from someone who is the exact demographic of our protagonist, mind you. Pakistani, Muslim, immigrant, woman. The struggles I face every day being represented on the page in the most superficial, token-y way was insulting.
I touched on this before, but the pacing is absolutely horrendous. Even setting aside the fact that the Centre barely features in the book, the book focuses on the most pointless, useless aspects of our protagonist's life. The entire first quarter of the book is spent setting up a relationship with a man who is not important to the story. It could have been cut into a prologue, that's how pointless it was. While countless pages are spent describing clothing (I had to read about the protagonist putting on a navy blue halter top and black skinny jeans like it's a Wattpad story) and asinine conversations between the characters, our protagonist writes a translation, gets published, and becomes famous in one (1) paragraph. Why? Her entire motivation is to translate great works of literature, and five seconds are spent on that plot point.
Speaking of our protagonist, she is absolutely awful. I love unlikable characters; I think if they're pulled off well, they are some of the most complex, most memorable characters in fiction. And yes, Anisa is meant to be unlikable. But for an unlikable character to work, there must be something else that still makes the audience root for them, or at least care what happens to them. This can be done through compelling side characters and showing our protagonist's effect on them. Or through a particularly well-crafted narrative arc for the character that keeps the reader interested, despite not liking said character. There is none of that here. Instead, we are made to sit through 270 pages following Anisa, a privileged, shallow, hypocritical, shockingly judgmental, awful human being who spends the whole book pitying herself for no reason. Even when other characters call her on her bullshit, she sweeps it under the rug and it's never brought up again.
And finally, the prose. The only compliment I have for the book is that it was easy to read. But the only reason it was easy to read was because the prose is juvenile to the point that it made me laugh out loud at several points. Anisa is supposedly a character who reads and strives to translate great works of literature, so it is especially amusing that the first-person prose feels like it was lifted from the journal of a fourteen year old. So again, I ask, "How was this published?"
I usually don't write reviews as mean as this, but when you publish trash, expect it to be treated as such.
July 16, 2023
respectfully, i hated every single thing about this book.
prose? basic.
dialogue? cringy.
plot? undeveloped.
characters? obnoxious.
islamic rep? blasphemous.
colonialism commentary? contradictory and just so bad.
i want my four hours back.
prose? basic.
dialogue? cringy.
plot? undeveloped.
characters? obnoxious.
islamic rep? blasphemous.
colonialism commentary? contradictory and just so bad.
i want my four hours back.
July 19, 2023
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s ambitious narrative takes on a multiplicity of themes, ranging from race and identity to displacement to gender and patriarchy to the specifics of relationships between India and Pakistan through to the ethical horrors lurking behind the shiny surfaces of late capitalism. And, for me, that potentially vast catalogue of concerns made it seem ultimately lacking in focus: as its various storylines criss-crossed and overlapped, I became increasingly uncertain what it was that Siddiqi wanted me to take from her fantastical tale. Yet, despite my reservations, I still found this a surprisingly gripping read.
The Centre’s narrated by Anisa, a deliberately frustrating character who veers between hyper-analytical and appallingly narcissistic. Anisa moved to England from her home in Karachi to study, twenty years later she’s living in London supported by her wealthy family and half-heartedly churning out sub-titles for Bollywood films, while dreaming of a more respectable life as a literary translator. A chance encounter turns into a relationship that leads her to the mysterious Centre, a place where ten days in seclusion can result in fluency in any language its clients desire, including ones that offer far more prestige than Anisa’s Urdu. Once there Anisa develops an unmistakeable attraction to the woman assigned to supervise her studies, and a growing obsession with what lies behind the Centre’s spectacular success.
Siddiqi blends everyday realism – down to the brand of shampoo Anisa favours – with elements of political allegory that sometimes reminded me of Dave Eggers and novels like Michel Faber’s Under the Skin. The plot hinges on the true nature of the Centre’s secret but I worked out aspects of Siddiqi’s later reveals fairly early on – possibly because my past featured a number of anthropology textbooks or possibly because of my familiarity with various forms of schlock horror. And schlock doesn’t seem unreasonable as a term to describe the absurdity of the explanation for the Centre’s secrecy: it’s also an explanation that involves a rather literal take on the relations between colonialism and consumer capitalism. That said Anisa was an intriguing figure, and I liked a number of her wry observations on feminism, language, race and identity, and her disarmingly clumsy attempts to forge stronger relationships with friends and lovers. But the style could be a little forced and the various storylines overly stretched and distracting, I also found it hard to relate to the semi-spiritual strands running throughout. I’ve seen a number of comparisons to R. F. Kuang’s Babel but this is not as skilfully constructed or coherent, even though it could be very entertaining. But as a debut novel it’s more than promising, and one I’m happy to have read, I’ll be interested to see what Siddiqi comes up with next.
Thanks to Netgalley and to publisher Picador.
The Centre’s narrated by Anisa, a deliberately frustrating character who veers between hyper-analytical and appallingly narcissistic. Anisa moved to England from her home in Karachi to study, twenty years later she’s living in London supported by her wealthy family and half-heartedly churning out sub-titles for Bollywood films, while dreaming of a more respectable life as a literary translator. A chance encounter turns into a relationship that leads her to the mysterious Centre, a place where ten days in seclusion can result in fluency in any language its clients desire, including ones that offer far more prestige than Anisa’s Urdu. Once there Anisa develops an unmistakeable attraction to the woman assigned to supervise her studies, and a growing obsession with what lies behind the Centre’s spectacular success.
Siddiqi blends everyday realism – down to the brand of shampoo Anisa favours – with elements of political allegory that sometimes reminded me of Dave Eggers and novels like Michel Faber’s Under the Skin. The plot hinges on the true nature of the Centre’s secret but I worked out aspects of Siddiqi’s later reveals fairly early on – possibly because my past featured a number of anthropology textbooks or possibly because of my familiarity with various forms of schlock horror. And schlock doesn’t seem unreasonable as a term to describe the absurdity of the explanation for the Centre’s secrecy: it’s also an explanation that involves a rather literal take on the relations between colonialism and consumer capitalism. That said Anisa was an intriguing figure, and I liked a number of her wry observations on feminism, language, race and identity, and her disarmingly clumsy attempts to forge stronger relationships with friends and lovers. But the style could be a little forced and the various storylines overly stretched and distracting, I also found it hard to relate to the semi-spiritual strands running throughout. I’ve seen a number of comparisons to R. F. Kuang’s Babel but this is not as skilfully constructed or coherent, even though it could be very entertaining. But as a debut novel it’s more than promising, and one I’m happy to have read, I’ll be interested to see what Siddiqi comes up with next.
Thanks to Netgalley and to publisher Picador.
August 13, 2023
Thoughts to come later.
Here are my later thoughts:
First off – I did not like reading this book. I regret to say that I fell for yet another pretty cover, my friends… And it all started so hopeful so good, the premise of The Centre making this one of my most anticipated books of the year: a translator wishing to learn more languages in order to enhance her chances of getting more jobs miraculously discovers a school which makes quick language learning possible. But there is a catch, which no one but our protagonist discovers.
The book assumes that a translator who could translate major works, important works into their own language, and from as many languages as possible, would increase their professional success, would do humanity some good. Kind of naive, right? As a translator, to me this is an utterly incomprehensible concept. I know I should be suspending my disbelief, but anyone who knows the industry will know that not knowing as many languages as possible will bring you more jobs – it is having good connections and (mostly in non-literary fields) translating for as cheap as possible.
I also don’t agree with this whole “beautiful language” thing so many people are on about, the main character here too. Languages are communication systems and although on a personal level I can understand having favorites or languages that are appealing aesthetically, please don’t claim positive or negative attributes for languages as a linguist, because that’s kind of an authority in the field.
That being said, there’s a kind of controversy about one of the characters of Muslim background doing some divinations, to be honest, I didn’t really understand what the character was doing in detail, but it does play a role in closing the circle to the plot. I’m aware of the reactive reviews here on Goodreads, a critique of which I see the logic, but don’t agree with.
That also being said, The Centre wasn’t really thrilling or exciting and I didn’t really enjoy it, it was your usual bland contemporary fiction. I’ll still throw in an additional star for the author’s spine publishing her book in the aftermath of the Rushdie attack since I assume she would be aware of the critique that will come.
Here are my later thoughts:
First off – I did not like reading this book. I regret to say that I fell for yet another pretty cover, my friends… And it all started so hopeful so good, the premise of The Centre making this one of my most anticipated books of the year: a translator wishing to learn more languages in order to enhance her chances of getting more jobs miraculously discovers a school which makes quick language learning possible. But there is a catch, which no one but our protagonist discovers.
The book assumes that a translator who could translate major works, important works into their own language, and from as many languages as possible, would increase their professional success, would do humanity some good. Kind of naive, right? As a translator, to me this is an utterly incomprehensible concept. I know I should be suspending my disbelief, but anyone who knows the industry will know that not knowing as many languages as possible will bring you more jobs – it is having good connections and (mostly in non-literary fields) translating for as cheap as possible.
I also don’t agree with this whole “beautiful language” thing so many people are on about, the main character here too. Languages are communication systems and although on a personal level I can understand having favorites or languages that are appealing aesthetically, please don’t claim positive or negative attributes for languages as a linguist, because that’s kind of an authority in the field.
That being said, there’s a kind of controversy about one of the characters of Muslim background doing some divinations, to be honest, I didn’t really understand what the character was doing in detail, but it does play a role in closing the circle to the plot. I’m aware of the reactive reviews here on Goodreads, a critique of which I see the logic, but don’t agree with.
That also being said, The Centre wasn’t really thrilling or exciting and I didn’t really enjoy it, it was your usual bland contemporary fiction. I’ll still throw in an additional star for the author’s spine publishing her book in the aftermath of the Rushdie attack since I assume she would be aware of the critique that will come.
July 4, 2023
The story centers around 35-year-old Anisa Ellahi who lives in London and works as an Urdu- English translator for Bollywood films. Anisa dreams of becoming a translator for the great works of literature. Anisa begins dating Adam and soon learns that he speaks over 10 languages. Adam attended an elite and invite-only language school called The Centre where he learned each new language in only 10 days.
At first, Anisa was skeptical but ultimately her curiosity won her over and she found herself enrolling in The Centre in order to learn German. The Centre’s learning process is very unorthodox, but by day 7 Anisa begins to understand German flawlessly. But soon after leaving The Centre, she begins to realize the sinister cost of its services.
I'm very pleased to say that this captivating and frightening story lived up to my high expectations! The author did a fantastic job with her characterization and world-building, all of the characters had a lot of depth and the settings were easily imaginable. I liked the fact that the main character Anisa was flawed, complex, and full of dark humor. The plot was completely unique and original and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and remarkable story.
Without giving anything away, I will say that even though this book contains a twist, it's more along the lines of character-driven/ literary fiction than a thriller. The Centre touches on many important topics such as racism, classism, colonialism, and sexism, so it would make a great book club selection.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi will be available on July 11! A massive that is to Zando Projects, Gillian Flynn Books for the gifted copy!
At first, Anisa was skeptical but ultimately her curiosity won her over and she found herself enrolling in The Centre in order to learn German. The Centre’s learning process is very unorthodox, but by day 7 Anisa begins to understand German flawlessly. But soon after leaving The Centre, she begins to realize the sinister cost of its services.
I'm very pleased to say that this captivating and frightening story lived up to my high expectations! The author did a fantastic job with her characterization and world-building, all of the characters had a lot of depth and the settings were easily imaginable. I liked the fact that the main character Anisa was flawed, complex, and full of dark humor. The plot was completely unique and original and overall I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and remarkable story.
Without giving anything away, I will say that even though this book contains a twist, it's more along the lines of character-driven/ literary fiction than a thriller. The Centre touches on many important topics such as racism, classism, colonialism, and sexism, so it would make a great book club selection.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi will be available on July 11! A massive that is to Zando Projects, Gillian Flynn Books for the gifted copy!
August 2, 2023
I’m disappointed. The compelling premise of this novel, as described in the publisher’s blurb, got me very excited to read the book and I was thrilled that Netgalley approved me for the digital audiobook ARC. Thank you Netgalley!
Unfortunately, the novel didn’t match its description. It was not humorous or satirical, nor was it a thriller. It’s mostly social commentary that goes in too many directions, touching superficially on misogyny, racism, religion, colonialism, immigration, intellectual superiority, intolerance, bisexuality, energetic transfer, meditation and other spiritual practices, tantra, and more. Any of those topics are worth exploring in depth and I was frequently frustrated by the lack of focus.
A big part of the novel is about Anisa and Adam’s sexual problems, which has absolutely nothing to do with the plot or even character development.
This book has great ideas and really needs a talented editor to cut out the multiple unnecessary tangents.
Anisa, the protagonist, annoyed me with her arrogance, self-absorption, and selfishness. Through the entire book she doesn’t do one single thing to help anyone else. She treats her boyfriend Adam horribly and complains incessantly about her best (and only) friend Naima. I had to force myself to finish this book because I didn’t want to spend any time with this super negative and hypercritical character .
Unfortunately, the novel didn’t match its description. It was not humorous or satirical, nor was it a thriller. It’s mostly social commentary that goes in too many directions, touching superficially on misogyny, racism, religion, colonialism, immigration, intellectual superiority, intolerance, bisexuality, energetic transfer, meditation and other spiritual practices, tantra, and more. Any of those topics are worth exploring in depth and I was frequently frustrated by the lack of focus.
A big part of the novel is about Anisa and Adam’s sexual problems, which has absolutely nothing to do with the plot or even character development.
This book has great ideas and really needs a talented editor to cut out the multiple unnecessary tangents.
Anisa, the protagonist, annoyed me with her arrogance, self-absorption, and selfishness. Through the entire book she doesn’t do one single thing to help anyone else. She treats her boyfriend Adam horribly and complains incessantly about her best (and only) friend Naima. I had to force myself to finish this book because I didn’t want to spend any time with this super negative and hypercritical character .
January 28, 2024
Jesus CHRIST
Metanarrative done well, I think.
Ive always fantasized about technology that would allow me to, say, imbibe a pill and immediately possess fluency in another language without having to do the work of learning it. I think this book interweaves this concept with the nature of power, exploitation, and what it means to take on those roles while suffering the consequences of them. Pretty brilliant. The ending was so abrupt though, and surprised me a lot! Not mad about it
Metanarrative done well, I think.
Ive always fantasized about technology that would allow me to, say, imbibe a pill and immediately possess fluency in another language without having to do the work of learning it. I think this book interweaves this concept with the nature of power, exploitation, and what it means to take on those roles while suffering the consequences of them. Pretty brilliant. The ending was so abrupt though, and surprised me a lot! Not mad about it
August 22, 2023
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's The Centre was a wonderful pre-summer read. Not that it wouldn't be wonderful at other times, but that—at a time when I'm holding on by my fingernails trying to make it through the last few weeks of the academic year—it took me to a completely different, yet familiar world that engaged me and caught me up in a story in just the way I needed.
The completely different part has to do with the central conceit of the novel: a secretive company has designed a program that allows those willing to pay ($20,000 per language) to learn any language in just 10 days. Not learn as in master basic phrases for travel. Learn as in speak with fluency and sophistication. Assuming one had the money, who wouldn't want to go for it? The Centre, where this language instruction occurs offers a a rigidly structured program: learners may not speak to or acknowledge one another. They have three one-hour meditation sessions a day. They're fed fabulous food and live on a campus surrounding a beautiful garden. They also spend hours-long sessions each day listening to the voice of a single speaker of the desired language. At first, learners understand nothing, become bored, nap, grow frustrated, but at some point, suddenly, everything that native speaker says makes perfect sense.
Anisa, the central character and narrator, learns about The Centre from a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. Anyone who has used their services is allowed to tell one other person about them. If that person is assessed as "appropriate" they'll have the opportunity to become a learner. Anisa makes the cut, learning first German, then Russian. And she grows increasingly curious about how this system works. (Cue the unsettling, eerie music.)
The familiar part is Anisa herself. She's a wealthy Pakastani living in Britain, working to provide Urdu subtitles for Bollywood films. Her best friend, Naima, works as a sort of new age guide, primarily for women of color, providing readings, rituals, and workshops. While my life is substantially different from theirs, what feels familiar is the closeness they share, their long conversations, their reflection on their own lives, and the questions they ask. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with them.
The Centre and Anisha herself move forward along these parallel rails, one fantastical, the other warmly supportive, bouncing between uneasiness and simple comforts. The novel is next-to-impossible to put down. Anisa tells a great story, and one wants to experience it in its entirety. If you enjoy science fiction, not-too-gory horror, and/or "women's fiction" (a term I hate, but one that communicates what I mean), you're going to find The Centre a real gift. When you reach a point where you need some good distraction, turn to The Centre. Things may or may not end happily ever after, but you'll get the break you need.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.
The completely different part has to do with the central conceit of the novel: a secretive company has designed a program that allows those willing to pay ($20,000 per language) to learn any language in just 10 days. Not learn as in master basic phrases for travel. Learn as in speak with fluency and sophistication. Assuming one had the money, who wouldn't want to go for it? The Centre, where this language instruction occurs offers a a rigidly structured program: learners may not speak to or acknowledge one another. They have three one-hour meditation sessions a day. They're fed fabulous food and live on a campus surrounding a beautiful garden. They also spend hours-long sessions each day listening to the voice of a single speaker of the desired language. At first, learners understand nothing, become bored, nap, grow frustrated, but at some point, suddenly, everything that native speaker says makes perfect sense.
Anisa, the central character and narrator, learns about The Centre from a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. Anyone who has used their services is allowed to tell one other person about them. If that person is assessed as "appropriate" they'll have the opportunity to become a learner. Anisa makes the cut, learning first German, then Russian. And she grows increasingly curious about how this system works. (Cue the unsettling, eerie music.)
The familiar part is Anisa herself. She's a wealthy Pakastani living in Britain, working to provide Urdu subtitles for Bollywood films. Her best friend, Naima, works as a sort of new age guide, primarily for women of color, providing readings, rituals, and workshops. While my life is substantially different from theirs, what feels familiar is the closeness they share, their long conversations, their reflection on their own lives, and the questions they ask. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with them.
The Centre and Anisha herself move forward along these parallel rails, one fantastical, the other warmly supportive, bouncing between uneasiness and simple comforts. The novel is next-to-impossible to put down. Anisa tells a great story, and one wants to experience it in its entirety. If you enjoy science fiction, not-too-gory horror, and/or "women's fiction" (a term I hate, but one that communicates what I mean), you're going to find The Centre a real gift. When you reach a point where you need some good distraction, turn to The Centre. Things may or may not end happily ever after, but you'll get the break you need.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.
January 23, 2024
I don’t even want to give this book a 1-star because I don’t think it deserves praise at all.
the author seems to have a lot of classist views & internalized islamophobia that she expressed through her MC. the social commentary was so hypocritical all throughout the book. I am so disappointed because this book catered to how white women would see our issues, rather than an unfiltered Muslim WOC perspective.
I can’t believe people are comparing this book to Babel by RF Kuang, because unlike this author that book actually had been well researched & had accurate representation. I think its an injustice to compare RF Kuang’s work to whatever the hell this stupid nonsense was.
this book really had a lot of potential. the plot was very interesting in the first 30-40% before the secret of the Centre is revealed. the author completely ruined what this book could’ve been through the MC.
here are some moments that made me want to physically bash my head into a wall:
- THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOOO BLASPHEMOUS OMG. Now I understand that the Muslim identity is not a one-size fits all, but there are certain aspects that are NOT MEANT TO BE DISRESPECTED regardless of how distant you are from the religion. the MC’s bff was “Muslim” and I say this in quotation marks because other than her (inappropriately) dropping a couple of inshallahs & ameens, homegirl is literally a new age spiritualist. she does tantra, tarot readings, manifestation circles, and has the audacity to end a ritual with an ameen & inshallah ???????? Shirk literally takes you out of the fold of islam, and to so casually have the two tango as a part of a characters lifestyle was so messed up. the main separation of islam from the rest of the world religions is our TAWHEED. Muslim rep was really not necessary here tbh, Naima could’ve been a perfectly adequate sidekick to the MC without being Muslim. and there was no actually commentary on their religion, just threw it in like “hey these girls are actually muslim!”
- the way the MC was sympathizing with an IDF soldier….I’m so disgusted with the author for this. what kind of nonesense is it to PRAY FOR SOMEONE CONTRIBUTING TO VIOLENT COLONIALISM, RIGHT AFTER U TALK ABOUT HOW BAD COLONIALISM IS?
- the MC was very upset with her friend for getting with a man that went against her feminist ideals, only to turn around and hook up with a patronizing brown man…
- the MC slightly hovers over the topic of immigration & establishing yourself in a western country, but at the same time she disregards another characters experience? the other dude (much older like 60) talks about how hard it was to study in the UK right after partition and gives examples like “they called us names, they saw us lesser than them, they thought of us slaves” etc and the MC was like ok and they still do that. like how are you going to talk about immigration and alladat and then completely minimize another browns person struggle who definitely had it worse than you!!????
- in India, the MC & her friend enjoy a very lavish vacation and the author said along the lines that luxury is more alluring when you see the poverty everywhere. and that being on the top floor of a hotel is so liberating from seeing beggars all day on the street. LIKE WHAT??????????????? how do you write this and think this is ok while also portraying yourself as a feminist throughout the rest of your commentary?????
- bruh. the MC made a comment how she wishes Karachi was like Delhi because she felt like she was so much safer here and that women aren’t as respected in Pakistan — which would’ve been a fair point IF INDIA LITERALLY WASNT HATE CRIMING & KILLING THEIR MUSLIM POPULATION? And she even says that she lied to people and told them she was from India to avoid being discriminated against…so really where is the safety?
- the author could’ve definitely made more commentary on class, especially because it was an issue in one of the relationships the MC had. The MC could’ve at least realized wealth is a buffer for the degree of racism people face but nope NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! she has a conversation with a desi taxi driver who talks about the struggles of raising kids in the UK as a lower middle class immigrant, and the MC just “mhmms” at whatever he says regarding the prejudice they face. The MC is so comfortable in her ways she says (i’m paraphrasing) this probably sounds like something a rich girl would say and that’s makes me a bitch but whatever I don’t want to think about this. like WHAT.
- Lol the MC got mad when her ex’s family served pork the first time they met her because they knew she drank, so they didn’t think she followed the rest. like i’m sorry but whose fault is that? 😭 you can’t blame white people for treating you the way you portray yourself!
- the MC supposedly had a very strong moral compass when the secret was first revealed to her, but the book ended with her being persuaded that this nonsense is ok because it’s “consensual”. She lost all agency, and there’s no actual reason or traumatic event for her to lose her morality but she just does???????
Lastly, the book ended of a pathetic cliffhanger. There was no resolution, it seriously felt like the author was like ok climax done let me throw in all the stupid nonsense I can now. It’s a stand-alone and is a very quick read, but she could’ve wrapped it up in a million other different ways that could’ve fit in her page count and not absolutely embarrass the MC.
Just grossed out that a south asian Muslim woman wrote this stupidity, meanwhile non-muslim authors like RF Kuang did a better job at portraying a muslim character & south asian history.
the author seems to have a lot of classist views & internalized islamophobia that she expressed through her MC. the social commentary was so hypocritical all throughout the book. I am so disappointed because this book catered to how white women would see our issues, rather than an unfiltered Muslim WOC perspective.
I can’t believe people are comparing this book to Babel by RF Kuang, because unlike this author that book actually had been well researched & had accurate representation. I think its an injustice to compare RF Kuang’s work to whatever the hell this stupid nonsense was.
this book really had a lot of potential. the plot was very interesting in the first 30-40% before the secret of the Centre is revealed. the author completely ruined what this book could’ve been through the MC.
here are some moments that made me want to physically bash my head into a wall:
- THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOOO BLASPHEMOUS OMG. Now I understand that the Muslim identity is not a one-size fits all, but there are certain aspects that are NOT MEANT TO BE DISRESPECTED regardless of how distant you are from the religion. the MC’s bff was “Muslim” and I say this in quotation marks because other than her (inappropriately) dropping a couple of inshallahs & ameens, homegirl is literally a new age spiritualist. she does tantra, tarot readings, manifestation circles, and has the audacity to end a ritual with an ameen & inshallah ???????? Shirk literally takes you out of the fold of islam, and to so casually have the two tango as a part of a characters lifestyle was so messed up. the main separation of islam from the rest of the world religions is our TAWHEED. Muslim rep was really not necessary here tbh, Naima could’ve been a perfectly adequate sidekick to the MC without being Muslim. and there was no actually commentary on their religion, just threw it in like “hey these girls are actually muslim!”
- the way the MC was sympathizing with an IDF soldier….I’m so disgusted with the author for this. what kind of nonesense is it to PRAY FOR SOMEONE CONTRIBUTING TO VIOLENT COLONIALISM, RIGHT AFTER U TALK ABOUT HOW BAD COLONIALISM IS?
- the MC was very upset with her friend for getting with a man that went against her feminist ideals, only to turn around and hook up with a patronizing brown man…
- the MC slightly hovers over the topic of immigration & establishing yourself in a western country, but at the same time she disregards another characters experience? the other dude (much older like 60) talks about how hard it was to study in the UK right after partition and gives examples like “they called us names, they saw us lesser than them, they thought of us slaves” etc and the MC was like ok and they still do that. like how are you going to talk about immigration and alladat and then completely minimize another browns person struggle who definitely had it worse than you!!????
- in India, the MC & her friend enjoy a very lavish vacation and the author said along the lines that luxury is more alluring when you see the poverty everywhere. and that being on the top floor of a hotel is so liberating from seeing beggars all day on the street. LIKE WHAT??????????????? how do you write this and think this is ok while also portraying yourself as a feminist throughout the rest of your commentary?????
- bruh. the MC made a comment how she wishes Karachi was like Delhi because she felt like she was so much safer here and that women aren’t as respected in Pakistan — which would’ve been a fair point IF INDIA LITERALLY WASNT HATE CRIMING & KILLING THEIR MUSLIM POPULATION? And she even says that she lied to people and told them she was from India to avoid being discriminated against…so really where is the safety?
- the author could’ve definitely made more commentary on class, especially because it was an issue in one of the relationships the MC had. The MC could’ve at least realized wealth is a buffer for the degree of racism people face but nope NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! she has a conversation with a desi taxi driver who talks about the struggles of raising kids in the UK as a lower middle class immigrant, and the MC just “mhmms” at whatever he says regarding the prejudice they face. The MC is so comfortable in her ways she says (i’m paraphrasing) this probably sounds like something a rich girl would say and that’s makes me a bitch but whatever I don’t want to think about this. like WHAT.
- Lol the MC got mad when her ex’s family served pork the first time they met her because they knew she drank, so they didn’t think she followed the rest. like i’m sorry but whose fault is that? 😭 you can’t blame white people for treating you the way you portray yourself!
- the MC supposedly had a very strong moral compass when the secret was first revealed to her, but the book ended with her being persuaded that this nonsense is ok because it’s “consensual”. She lost all agency, and there’s no actual reason or traumatic event for her to lose her morality but she just does???????
Lastly, the book ended of a pathetic cliffhanger. There was no resolution, it seriously felt like the author was like ok climax done let me throw in all the stupid nonsense I can now. It’s a stand-alone and is a very quick read, but she could’ve wrapped it up in a million other different ways that could’ve fit in her page count and not absolutely embarrass the MC.
Just grossed out that a south asian Muslim woman wrote this stupidity, meanwhile non-muslim authors like RF Kuang did a better job at portraying a muslim character & south asian history.
December 5, 2023
For the first 30-40% of this I was thinking it would land at 4* - I liked the self-revealing voice of Anisha who is only peripherally aware of her own privilege (wealthy family supporting her London life-style which she barely contributes to writing Bollywood subtitles) as she discusses her relationship with Adam, her best friend, ideas about the politics of translation and language, and what it means to be a Pakistani young woman in London whose parents and family are at 'home'. Even the idea of the kooky, cult-like Centre where you can learn to become fluent in a language in ten days adds to the mix suggesting the commercialisation of cultural capital - that ten days costs £20,000 - even if it's done in a clumsy way:
But at about halfway through this narrative seems to lose its way. I could predict what's really going on at the Centre just because it's turned up in other books - and it's a very clunky metaphor for what the book is trying to get at . Trying to make this figure for the exploitations of class, nationalities etc., just doesn't make much sense at the literal level of the story, and is made even less coherent at the end when we find the super-wealthy founders of the Centre On top of the huge plot hole at the heart of the book, we just don't get enough insight into either the supposed 'science' or even the lifestyle at the Centre and who the 'learners' are: we're fobbed off with being told that no-one is allowed to acknowledge anyone else there... despite them taking meditation classes and all meals together. This fatal shallowness turns up in other places too .
Despite the fatal flaws, this is a compulsive read and could have better stood on its feet without the preposterous plot that ends up fizzling out anyway. Anisha and her relationships, whatever move she might have made towards self-knowledge, would have kept me engaged - and I especially liked the more nuanced portrait of an asymmetrical relationship with a wealthy young Pakistani woman and a working-class white man - but in the end this just goes nowhere and loses coherency.
But at about halfway through this narrative seems to lose its way. I could predict what's really going on at the Centre just because it's turned up in other books - and it's a very clunky metaphor for what the book is trying to get at . Trying to make this figure for the exploitations of class, nationalities etc., just doesn't make much sense at the literal level of the story, and is made even less coherent at the end when we find the super-wealthy founders of the Centre On top of the huge plot hole at the heart of the book, we just don't get enough insight into either the supposed 'science' or even the lifestyle at the Centre and who the 'learners' are: we're fobbed off with being told that no-one is allowed to acknowledge anyone else there... despite them taking meditation classes and all meals together. This fatal shallowness turns up in other places too .
Despite the fatal flaws, this is a compulsive read and could have better stood on its feet without the preposterous plot that ends up fizzling out anyway. Anisha and her relationships, whatever move she might have made towards self-knowledge, would have kept me engaged - and I especially liked the more nuanced portrait of an asymmetrical relationship with a wealthy young Pakistani woman and a working-class white man - but in the end this just goes nowhere and loses coherency.
Want to read
April 1, 2024the cover is so cunty i love it
April 23, 2023
The idea of this story is really intriguing -- it has a great hook and that's initially what made me want to read on. However, I was quite disappointed in the quality of the writing; I expected better. It's written more like an unedited personal essay than a novel, and not in a way that feels intentional or works well. The characters in this book really do not talk like real people talk. As well as that, there is absolutely zero subtlety in the way the underlying themes are communicated. I would have liked more focus on the mystery of the Centre and less on Anisa's life.
July 28, 2023
4/5 stars
As the dark-academia-craze of the 2020’s has taken the bookish community by storm, I’ve been struggling to find my “subgenre” within it that I truly enjoy. After 3 years of searching, I think I’ve finally figured out my niche, which I like to call “weird dark academia”. Including Vita Nostra, Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang, the works of Mona Awad and Suzanna Clarke, these focus not on the romantic aesthetic of academia, but rather on its strange microcosm, elitism and privilege and the feelings of displacement that come when you don’t feel you belong. The Centre captures many of these same themes within a deliciously dark tale of a mysterious invite-only language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret cost.
Anisa Ellahi, a second generation Pakistani immigrant, dreams of being a translator of “literatures Greats”. Instead, she’s mostly making due with subtitling mediocre Bollywood movies and having to rely on her parents financial support to get by. When her new boyfriend Adam, a man with an extraordinary aptitude for learning new languages, introduces her to The Centre; a secretive language course that promises to teach anyone to speak a language in just a 10-day course, Anisa decides she has little to lose. Skeptical but intrigued, she applies and surrenders herself to The Centre’s unusual methods, immerging 10 days later, fully fluent in German. As Anisa enmeshes herself further within The Centre, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the true cost of its services.
Although the plot and sinister mystery are interesting enough, The Centre truly shines in its thematic discussion of language and the nature of translation, colonialism, privilege and preservation through storytelling at its core. As someone who engages in translation heavily to the point where I barely read any fiction in my native tongue anymore, all of these topics are fascinating to me. Like Anisa, I love the multi-facetted process of translating, and I really related to the following passage in which she describes her view on it.
“It’s not that translation is a subjective process exactly. In fact, in a way it’s highly mathematical. It’s about retaining the feeling, the thing underneath. It’s as if you go underground and there are all these shapes and colors, and there you see that, oh; “died” in this language is closest in color and shape, consistency and texture, to “passed away” in this other language. And it feels like a personal accomplishment when you make the match and haul the pair back up to the surface.”
The Centre isn’t solely celebration of translation though; it also points out the inherent duality of it. More than just words alone, we share, we take, and we change through the processing of experiences from different people in this way. With every translation we make, we change minute things about the narrative, whether consciously or unintended. We not only take away something from the original narrative, but also absorb some of it into our own life-experiences, thereby changing ourselves. This all brings up discussions on the morality of this all: who is entitled to change, to interpret, and even to understand? How does it change our own identities?
Many of these questions are similar to the ones R.F. Kuang raised in Babel: An Arcane History last year, and although they’re very different in style and genre, I feel like they would make for good complimentary reads if you’re looking for more on this topic. Where Babel is far more heavy-handed and lecturing on its subject matter, I liked Siddiqi's more satirical, contemporary take. That being said, the twist ending might be more of a marmite one…
Due to the role that storytelling (especially through literal “voices”) plays in this novel, I highly recommend the audiobook, as it truly adds to the experience. The narrator does a fantastic job and it truly added a layer of immersion for me.
On a separate note: it always intrigues me to no end when books have vastly different covers from different publishers. Especially so when one is among my favourite covers of 2023, and the other is one I absolutely detest. Safe to say: Gillian Flynn Press/Zando Publishing knocked it out of the park with this edition. Picador’s alternate cover is best forgotten…
Many thanks to Gillian Flynn Books and Dreamscape Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As the dark-academia-craze of the 2020’s has taken the bookish community by storm, I’ve been struggling to find my “subgenre” within it that I truly enjoy. After 3 years of searching, I think I’ve finally figured out my niche, which I like to call “weird dark academia”. Including Vita Nostra, Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang, the works of Mona Awad and Suzanna Clarke, these focus not on the romantic aesthetic of academia, but rather on its strange microcosm, elitism and privilege and the feelings of displacement that come when you don’t feel you belong. The Centre captures many of these same themes within a deliciously dark tale of a mysterious invite-only language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret cost.
Anisa Ellahi, a second generation Pakistani immigrant, dreams of being a translator of “literatures Greats”. Instead, she’s mostly making due with subtitling mediocre Bollywood movies and having to rely on her parents financial support to get by. When her new boyfriend Adam, a man with an extraordinary aptitude for learning new languages, introduces her to The Centre; a secretive language course that promises to teach anyone to speak a language in just a 10-day course, Anisa decides she has little to lose. Skeptical but intrigued, she applies and surrenders herself to The Centre’s unusual methods, immerging 10 days later, fully fluent in German. As Anisa enmeshes herself further within The Centre, seduced by all that it’s made possible, she soon realizes the true cost of its services.
Although the plot and sinister mystery are interesting enough, The Centre truly shines in its thematic discussion of language and the nature of translation, colonialism, privilege and preservation through storytelling at its core. As someone who engages in translation heavily to the point where I barely read any fiction in my native tongue anymore, all of these topics are fascinating to me. Like Anisa, I love the multi-facetted process of translating, and I really related to the following passage in which she describes her view on it.
“It’s not that translation is a subjective process exactly. In fact, in a way it’s highly mathematical. It’s about retaining the feeling, the thing underneath. It’s as if you go underground and there are all these shapes and colors, and there you see that, oh; “died” in this language is closest in color and shape, consistency and texture, to “passed away” in this other language. And it feels like a personal accomplishment when you make the match and haul the pair back up to the surface.”
The Centre isn’t solely celebration of translation though; it also points out the inherent duality of it. More than just words alone, we share, we take, and we change through the processing of experiences from different people in this way. With every translation we make, we change minute things about the narrative, whether consciously or unintended. We not only take away something from the original narrative, but also absorb some of it into our own life-experiences, thereby changing ourselves. This all brings up discussions on the morality of this all: who is entitled to change, to interpret, and even to understand? How does it change our own identities?
Many of these questions are similar to the ones R.F. Kuang raised in Babel: An Arcane History last year, and although they’re very different in style and genre, I feel like they would make for good complimentary reads if you’re looking for more on this topic. Where Babel is far more heavy-handed and lecturing on its subject matter, I liked Siddiqi's more satirical, contemporary take. That being said, the twist ending might be more of a marmite one…
Due to the role that storytelling (especially through literal “voices”) plays in this novel, I highly recommend the audiobook, as it truly adds to the experience. The narrator does a fantastic job and it truly added a layer of immersion for me.
On a separate note: it always intrigues me to no end when books have vastly different covers from different publishers. Especially so when one is among my favourite covers of 2023, and the other is one I absolutely detest. Safe to say: Gillian Flynn Press/Zando Publishing knocked it out of the park with this edition. Picador’s alternate cover is best forgotten…
Many thanks to Gillian Flynn Books and Dreamscape Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 17, 2024
4.5/5 this ate
April 14, 2023
I really loved this book. This book is about an elite language school which claims to be able to make you fluent in any language in just two weeks but you are sworn to absolute secrecy regarding the process.
It’s one of those novels which keeps you absolutely addicted because you’re desperate to know what is going on. I found the writing and plot simplistic at first but it really starts to suck you in and I finished the second half of it so fast because of how obsessed I was. I loved the metafiction aspect and how unreliable the narrator turned out to be. I will say as well this is a book where the reveal/twist is just so worth it. It ruminates so well on the human condition, our need to absorb knowledge, colonialism, sexism and lust for power. It was so well done and I really recommend this.
It’s one of those novels which keeps you absolutely addicted because you’re desperate to know what is going on. I found the writing and plot simplistic at first but it really starts to suck you in and I finished the second half of it so fast because of how obsessed I was. I loved the metafiction aspect and how unreliable the narrator turned out to be. I will say as well this is a book where the reveal/twist is just so worth it. It ruminates so well on the human condition, our need to absorb knowledge, colonialism, sexism and lust for power. It was so well done and I really recommend this.
August 25, 2023
I enjoyed this one a lot. It covers a lot of topics but it never feels forced. The writing style was beautiful, the pacing was steady, the relationships between the characters and their evolution felt real. It's aggressively unpretentious and that's perhaps the thing that surprised me the most about it. Its cleareyed celebration of friendship between women was also absolutely delightful. It's not the most action packed book but it's a good book.
August 13, 2023
A darkly comic, boundary-pushing debut following an adrift Pakistani translator in London who attends a mysterious language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost.
the summary made it sound like so much more was going to happen in the book. it was an easy read, even though the first or second chapter of the novel annoyed me greatly because . i also assumed that the reason for said were related to the language learning process but i guess he's just for no reason? to talk about anisa's ? who knows.
anisa in general was an unlikable character. she's a privileged pakistani woman living in london, who works as a translator but dreams of doing so much more. while i appreciate books about adult women in the working world, i could not relate to her because to me, characters from super privileged backgrounds who then attempt to act like less privileged underdogs always piss me off, especially when they settle right back into the comfort of their privileged princess lifestyle when they return home. as someone from a low income background it always feels like a slap in the face. wherever i go, there is no rich and cushy life for me to return to when i want to recover from larping as a working class underdog in the big city.
there are characters who call anisa out for her attitude and especially her hyper woke behavior, that comes across as cringy and soapboxy.
'The things you're preoccupied with. You think they're deep, but it's really the opposite. You make people your enemy for no reason.'
the discussion about what can and can't be said is more nuanced than the aforementioned quote makes it out to be. what really bothers me is how everyone who doesn't react well to anisa's wokeness is made out to be stupid or, god forbid, unwoke. considering the author's own background (a translator who comes from karachi and lives in london) it feels like yet another authorial self insert who has put heated discussions that she plays out in her head under the shower into her books. i was immediately reminded of r. f. kuang's yellowface and the authorial self insert of athena liu.
'You know, you make it sound like we talk about men a lot. [...] It's that stereotype, that women have nothing to talk about but men. [...] When men get together, they don't sit around trying to analyse the inner workings of our minds. [...] Men, you see, consider themselves independent beings, but we see ourselves only in relation to them.'
there's also a scene much later in the book where anisa and her best friend talk about how they always talk about men and how problematic that is. it feels like a poor attempt at lampshading, as if someone had pointed out that anisa and naima constantly talk about men and instead of rectifying this, the author thought it best to have the two women act self-aware about how most of their conversations revolve around men. it's just weak writing.
circling back to my introduction: i really thought there was going to be more in this book. the story eventually shocks you with a surprise twist that was entirely unnecessary. some for a sudden recollection of memories that anisa entirely forgot and that are never hinted at, so that the reveal is just flat and boring.
i really expected more from this book but the titular centre that was hyped to be this grand, mysterious, baffling thing was just... boring. it took a backseat to the aforementioned surprise twist and anisa's inner turmoil and her weird sexual encounter later in the book. which i'm not even going to delve into because why the hell was that there and what was the point?
in the end, the story started flat, became increasingly better, then fizzled out around the halfway mark, like a bottle of coke left in the trunk of your car, that loses all its fizz once you unscrew the cap.
August 3, 2023
Unravel the secrets of privilege and identity in "The Centre," a mind-bending tale with an unexpected twist.……
Book Information
“The Centre” written by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, is a 288-page mystery published on July 11, 2023. The audio version is narrated by Balvinder Sopal and spans 8 hours and 36 minutes. Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advance readers copy of this book for review.
Summary
Anisa dreams of being a translator but ends up subtitling Bollywood movies and relying on her parents' support. Her boyfriend, Adam, introduces her to The Centre, a program promising instant language fluency. Intrigued, she enrolls but soon realizes its high cost and questionable practices, forcing her to confront difficult ethical dilemmas.
My Thoughts
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's "The Centre" presents an intriguing story that kept me engaged throughout. The book delves into the realms of mystery, thriller, and literary fiction, making it an enjoyable read. The exploration of colonialism, privilege, and sexism within the narrative adds depth to the story. The book excels in characterization and world-building, and it cleverly weaves in dark humor, creating a unique and captivating plot. Siddiqi invites you to explore a world of mystery and humor, where solving the puzzle could change everything.
I listened to the audio version of the book and Balvinder Sopal’s excellent performance enhances the immersive experience, effectively bringing the characters and their world to life. This story is driven by the voices and thoughts of the characters so a solid audio performance is critical and Sopal delivered.
Although classified as a mystery/thriller, "The Centre" leans more towards character-driven fiction. While the mystery element is present, it’s not necessarily the driving force. The story does take a dark and weird turn, however, adding to its intrigue.
Though I enjoyed the book, I was disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and didn't deliver the required resolution. Unfortunately, the abrupt conclusion dampened my overall experience. The last portion of the book seemed to search for a satisfying resolution that didn't quite manifest, leaving a sense of unfinished business.
The dialogue in the book is also at times repetitive, which can be a minor drawback. On the other hand, the main character's exploration of themes like identity, immigration, feminism, language, and privilege/class adds depth to the narrative.
"The Centre" is a good book with a brilliant premise that, with a stronger ending, could have easily earned a 4-star rating. It has the potential to be either an excellent short story or to be restructured into a more extensive, deeper novel. Despite its flaws, the book offers a compelling and thought-provoking read.
Recommendation
"The Centre" is an intriguing and unique character-driven fiction, exploring themes of colonialism, privilege, and identity. While the book excels in its captivating plot and dark humor, the ending will seem rushed and unsatisfying for some which may dampen an otherwise enjoyable reading experience. Recommended.
Rating
3 Translated Stars
Book Information
“The Centre” written by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, is a 288-page mystery published on July 11, 2023. The audio version is narrated by Balvinder Sopal and spans 8 hours and 36 minutes. Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advance readers copy of this book for review.
Summary
Anisa dreams of being a translator but ends up subtitling Bollywood movies and relying on her parents' support. Her boyfriend, Adam, introduces her to The Centre, a program promising instant language fluency. Intrigued, she enrolls but soon realizes its high cost and questionable practices, forcing her to confront difficult ethical dilemmas.
My Thoughts
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's "The Centre" presents an intriguing story that kept me engaged throughout. The book delves into the realms of mystery, thriller, and literary fiction, making it an enjoyable read. The exploration of colonialism, privilege, and sexism within the narrative adds depth to the story. The book excels in characterization and world-building, and it cleverly weaves in dark humor, creating a unique and captivating plot. Siddiqi invites you to explore a world of mystery and humor, where solving the puzzle could change everything.
I listened to the audio version of the book and Balvinder Sopal’s excellent performance enhances the immersive experience, effectively bringing the characters and their world to life. This story is driven by the voices and thoughts of the characters so a solid audio performance is critical and Sopal delivered.
Although classified as a mystery/thriller, "The Centre" leans more towards character-driven fiction. While the mystery element is present, it’s not necessarily the driving force. The story does take a dark and weird turn, however, adding to its intrigue.
Though I enjoyed the book, I was disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and didn't deliver the required resolution. Unfortunately, the abrupt conclusion dampened my overall experience. The last portion of the book seemed to search for a satisfying resolution that didn't quite manifest, leaving a sense of unfinished business.
The dialogue in the book is also at times repetitive, which can be a minor drawback. On the other hand, the main character's exploration of themes like identity, immigration, feminism, language, and privilege/class adds depth to the narrative.
"The Centre" is a good book with a brilliant premise that, with a stronger ending, could have easily earned a 4-star rating. It has the potential to be either an excellent short story or to be restructured into a more extensive, deeper novel. Despite its flaws, the book offers a compelling and thought-provoking read.
Recommendation
"The Centre" is an intriguing and unique character-driven fiction, exploring themes of colonialism, privilege, and identity. While the book excels in its captivating plot and dark humor, the ending will seem rushed and unsatisfying for some which may dampen an otherwise enjoyable reading experience. Recommended.
Rating
3 Translated Stars
December 28, 2023
What in the WORLD did I just read.
Hello publisher, we need trigger warnings for cannibalism. Some people don’t like that as a shocking reveal near the very end of the book??
I try not to post negative reviews, but eeeef I feel cheated. This book had a fascinating premise and so many interesting things to say about language and how it changes you, but I wouldn’t recommend. Random unexpected cannibalism aside, the mc’s hyper-wokeness was annoying, the story wandered into so many things that never came back, and there are some weird undertones (again, cannibalism aside).
Still grateful to Netgalley and Zando for the arc—the premise sounded amazing!
Hello publisher, we need trigger warnings for cannibalism. Some people don’t like that as a shocking reveal near the very end of the book??
I try not to post negative reviews, but eeeef I feel cheated. This book had a fascinating premise and so many interesting things to say about language and how it changes you, but I wouldn’t recommend. Random unexpected cannibalism aside, the mc’s hyper-wokeness was annoying, the story wandered into so many things that never came back, and there are some weird undertones (again, cannibalism aside).
Still grateful to Netgalley and Zando for the arc—the premise sounded amazing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2023
The positives: I loved The Centre's premise! It was original, entertaining, and engaging, and it kept my attention throughout. I liked the idea of a strange linguistic resort like centre; it reminded me of Black Mirror or John Marrs' books. I enjoyed learning about Anisa's culture, and I was also interested in learning more about translation.
The negatives: The ending felt rushed to me, and while the twist was meant to be surprising, it did not surprise me at all. It took a long time to get to the "twist," and by then I had figured it out. The dialogue was highly repetitive, and the story appeared to go nowhere. Also, how did the protagonist have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on this without hesitation? I thought this could have been extremely good, and I really wanted to love it, but it was only an okay read for me.
I would still recommend this if you are looking for a quick, unique read and looking to expand your genres if you don’t normally read thrillers.
The negatives: The ending felt rushed to me, and while the twist was meant to be surprising, it did not surprise me at all. It took a long time to get to the "twist," and by then I had figured it out. The dialogue was highly repetitive, and the story appeared to go nowhere. Also, how did the protagonist have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on this without hesitation? I thought this could have been extremely good, and I really wanted to love it, but it was only an okay read for me.
I would still recommend this if you are looking for a quick, unique read and looking to expand your genres if you don’t normally read thrillers.
April 23, 2024
yet again, another DNF for 2024... I picked it up at the library (mostly for the cover) but I could not keep going after Chapter 2.
February 27, 2024
This was a whole lotta nothing.
October 1, 2023
You see, a kind of listlessness had been brewing in me for some time, the kind that threatened to tip over into despair, leaving me just sitting there, solitary and stuck, forever, in the middle of my living room.
This was a fascinating and complicated horror-adjacent book that I think has a lot of interesting and complex layers to unpack. It's the story of a drifting (and privileged) Pakistani woman who goes to the eponymous Centre and learns German in 10 days (I am envious about that, I have to say).
Beyond my skepticism (as a freelancer translator for the past five years) that translating work could actually help you out financially, I think this book carries out a number of interesting conversations around the idea of a deal with the devil.
I will acknowledge right off the bat that my knowledge of Pakistan and its relationship with India and Israel is not great. But I do think that this book is meant to be extremely contradictory so as to reveal different axis of privilege and very complicated power dynamics. Anisa, as a main character, is built on exactly that contradiction: she is privileged, living off a stipend from her father, is subjected to racism and sexism in England, while during a trip to Delhi later in the book, she is aware that she would be looked down upon by her hosts. She has an at least basic understanding of class & caste dynamics, but doesn't really care / put much energy into doing that much about it. Her ex, Adam, is a white man who comes from poverty, and she doesn't really understand his insecurities around her money situation. (That doesn't mean I am excusing his shit in any way or taking his side or anything like that)
Anisa's journey in the book is paralleled by her best friend, Naima's. They're both loud and proud feminists who talk a big game when it comes to their power as women, but then Anisa is disappointed to see how Naima makes herself smaller and pours all her energy into making her new boyfriend happy and supported.
These self-deceptions, deals with the devil and hypocrisies explored in the book are all very complicated and rich. They show up everywhere in the text. They relate to colonialism, beauty standards, love, class, culture.
It can even go meta: Anisa mentions Adrienne Rich being one of her favorite writers (and one of the epigraphs come from Rich), but she supported a very transphobic book in the past, more info here. We live in a very complicated world and it's impossible to be pure in our politics and our lives (they're kind of the same thing). Then, because of that impossibility, the question becomes: how do we negotiate our own impurities? Where do we draw the line and where do we compromise? And do we let ourselves be seduced by the promise of power and proximity to it?
I think all of those are very interesting topics of discussion, perhaps lifelong conversations to have with ourselves and people around us.
Away from me philosophizing, I did enjoy this book, but much like the narrator herself, it felt like it was a bit emotionally guarded. There was one bit where the narrator herself said that she wanted to keep away from the reader an emotional exchange between her and the person she had it with. (Also in service of the reveals, which I have to say were very very guessable). That kept me from being fully emotionally invested.
As for the queer vibes
And the ending, well. It feels abrupt, but pretty clear to me, if you factor in Naima's eventual choices as well. That might be just my take on the whole thing, though.
I received an ARC for review in the Otherland bookshop newsletter.
This was a fascinating and complicated horror-adjacent book that I think has a lot of interesting and complex layers to unpack. It's the story of a drifting (and privileged) Pakistani woman who goes to the eponymous Centre and learns German in 10 days (I am envious about that, I have to say).
Beyond my skepticism (as a freelancer translator for the past five years) that translating work could actually help you out financially, I think this book carries out a number of interesting conversations around the idea of a deal with the devil.
I will acknowledge right off the bat that my knowledge of Pakistan and its relationship with India and Israel is not great. But I do think that this book is meant to be extremely contradictory so as to reveal different axis of privilege and very complicated power dynamics. Anisa, as a main character, is built on exactly that contradiction: she is privileged, living off a stipend from her father, is subjected to racism and sexism in England, while during a trip to Delhi later in the book, she is aware that she would be looked down upon by her hosts. She has an at least basic understanding of class & caste dynamics, but doesn't really care / put much energy into doing that much about it. Her ex, Adam, is a white man who comes from poverty, and she doesn't really understand his insecurities around her money situation. (That doesn't mean I am excusing his shit in any way or taking his side or anything like that)
Anisa's journey in the book is paralleled by her best friend, Naima's. They're both loud and proud feminists who talk a big game when it comes to their power as women, but then Anisa is disappointed to see how Naima makes herself smaller and pours all her energy into making her new boyfriend happy and supported.
These self-deceptions, deals with the devil and hypocrisies explored in the book are all very complicated and rich. They show up everywhere in the text. They relate to colonialism, beauty standards, love, class, culture.
It can even go meta: Anisa mentions Adrienne Rich being one of her favorite writers (and one of the epigraphs come from Rich), but she supported a very transphobic book in the past, more info here. We live in a very complicated world and it's impossible to be pure in our politics and our lives (they're kind of the same thing). Then, because of that impossibility, the question becomes: how do we negotiate our own impurities? Where do we draw the line and where do we compromise? And do we let ourselves be seduced by the promise of power and proximity to it?
I think all of those are very interesting topics of discussion, perhaps lifelong conversations to have with ourselves and people around us.
Away from me philosophizing, I did enjoy this book, but much like the narrator herself, it felt like it was a bit emotionally guarded. There was one bit where the narrator herself said that she wanted to keep away from the reader an emotional exchange between her and the person she had it with. (Also in service of the reveals, which I have to say were very very guessable). That kept me from being fully emotionally invested.
As for the queer vibes
And the ending, well. It feels abrupt, but pretty clear to me, if you factor in Naima's eventual choices as well. That might be just my take on the whole thing, though.
I received an ARC for review in the Otherland bookshop newsletter.
November 6, 2023
Babel meets Catherine House with SUCH A GOOD TWIST/REVEAL.
i devoured this book in less than two days. loved the commentary on being a woman, being a person of color, the effects of language, friendship dynamics, being desperate for love, and probably more that i'm forgetting. i hated some characters, but our main character was super relatable for me. finding out how the centre operates really drove that 5th star despite everything though. i also really enjoyed following along with the audiobook!
i devoured this book in less than two days. loved the commentary on being a woman, being a person of color, the effects of language, friendship dynamics, being desperate for love, and probably more that i'm forgetting. i hated some characters, but our main character was super relatable for me. finding out how the centre operates really drove that 5th star despite everything though. i also really enjoyed following along with the audiobook!
July 9, 2023
Have you ever read a book that tries to be too much, tackling too many things to the point that it seems a weird potpourri of genres with an unhealthy dose of social justice sprinkled on top? The Center could have been that, but it isn’t. It’s a mystery, and it’s a thriller, and when you get to the end - things are a bit horrifying, but at its core, it’s a story about colonialism, language, and story-telling.
The book follows Anisa Ellahi, a Pakistani translator born in privilege but with a very unsatisfying professional life. She meets Adam who is the total opposite - successful, a self-made man, and he speaks over ten languages. Interestingly, Adam goes on a quick trip to Berlin and comes back speaking perfect Urdu, in just ten days. How? Well, he’s signed an NDA so he can’t really say, but here’s the thing - there’s this place called The Centre and they have this language program…
This book was such a trip. It has very different tones throughout the book - you first get to know who Anisa is and how her life works, then you get to Adam, then The Centre, and then, well, everything that comes during and after that first visit. I can’t say I wasn’t expecting how dark the whole thing became, but it’s crazy how it made me go ‘what the frick’ (out loud, and a few times). And the ending? So good. Honestly, this was so good.
It’s a pity I can’t really talk much about what really made me go from “ah” to “ooooh” without spoiling massive parts of the story. But yeah, it’s fair enough to say, this was just a trip. And if The Centre really exists, there are a few languages I’d like to learn, even though… well, yeah.
* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
The book follows Anisa Ellahi, a Pakistani translator born in privilege but with a very unsatisfying professional life. She meets Adam who is the total opposite - successful, a self-made man, and he speaks over ten languages. Interestingly, Adam goes on a quick trip to Berlin and comes back speaking perfect Urdu, in just ten days. How? Well, he’s signed an NDA so he can’t really say, but here’s the thing - there’s this place called The Centre and they have this language program…
This book was such a trip. It has very different tones throughout the book - you first get to know who Anisa is and how her life works, then you get to Adam, then The Centre, and then, well, everything that comes during and after that first visit. I can’t say I wasn’t expecting how dark the whole thing became, but it’s crazy how it made me go ‘what the frick’ (out loud, and a few times). And the ending? So good. Honestly, this was so good.
It’s a pity I can’t really talk much about what really made me go from “ah” to “ooooh” without spoiling massive parts of the story. But yeah, it’s fair enough to say, this was just a trip. And if The Centre really exists, there are a few languages I’d like to learn, even though… well, yeah.
* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
February 6, 2024
Here we go again, with another prospective five star book I proposed to the book club only to be hit by a huge wave of disappointment by the time I was done reading.
Let’s start from the beginning: The Centre is a novel about a Pakistani woman that moved to London at eighteen to study translation; almost two decades after that and disillusioned with her prospects as a translator of Urdu, she decides she’ll frequent an incredibly secretive 10-day language course for the very modest price of twenty thousand pounds (!!!) and learn German, because she wants to translate the Great Works of Literature.
The very secretive language course is ominous as hell, but it comes with a 100% success rate, and once Anisa is accepted into the elite school, she becomes obsessed with the idea of uncovering its inner workings.
In one of the top reviews here on Goodreads I saw that the novel was described as the perfect book club book, and that person was so right! We’ve had a lot of fun talking shit about all the topics that the author opened up without ever giving them the appropriate amount of time and thought needed to develop them and create a well rounded piece of literature. What aided in stirring up the malice was the hope we all had in the book being a vessel for a voice that could tell A Lot in several different aspects (the whitewashed studies that made Anisa believe that only the whitest languages in Europe had any texts worth translating and the implications of an internalised racism she has never deconstructed and doesn’t recognise, the way the learning techniques of the Centre could influence her knowledge of the language, thus colouring her translations, and so on and so forth), but that eventually ended up driving forward a shallow — and somewhat insecure — finale.
The comparisons between the protagonist and the author, a Pakistani woman who moved to London in her late teens to study translation at uni, are glaringly obvious, and the author addresses them in an interview at the end of the audiobook, even comparing her experience writing the novel to that of Anisa translating her books. It will come to no one’s surprise then, when I say that the protagonist’s voice is probably what stands out the most in the book: the novel is narrated in the first person, and her colloquial tone makes her a very vivid individual, albeit an incredibly flawed one (insufferable! prone to virtue signaling! horrible girlfriend!). I really enjoyed reading her pov, and despite the vague suspect of Anisa being a blatant self insert (but that would be too easy!) I want to believe in the author’s abilities in recreating a character’s personality. I’d like to read more from her only to check what her writing style is when placed in a different environment.
That said, Anisa is a brown woman in the western world and is subject to racist micro-aggressions and sexism, but she still comes from a very privileged background that she hasn’t outgrown and refuses to acknowledge as something that could cloud her judgment — one constant in the book is her refusal to do any kind of growing. All of her struggles in the world of translation and academics are a thing of the past as the book progresses, and after she goes to the Centre everything comes easily to her, with no effort involved; she learns languages at the snap of a finger, she comes across no hurdles when finding someone that will publish her translations while before the stay at the Centre she routinely took Ls (even if she does have hurdles she glosses over them, time becoming a flurry to get us from point A to point B — it makes sense in the book, but it’s one of those sidesteps that changes the course of the novel from being a book about translation to being a book about The Mystery Behind The Centre). All of the privilege she accrues from her parents’ wealth and the friendship she develops with the manager of the Centre make it so that she never has to change, as she will always land in her safety net if her choices make her stray too much from the paved road.
This brings us to the final choice she makes in the novel, which I’ve been trying to wrap my head around since I finished reading and still haven’t found any sound reasoning behind: when faced with an ethical dilemma she ascribes her decision to what is sold to us as a feminist thought, à la “the only way out is through” kind of reasoning, and. I was so baffled. Even now I don’t know what to say.
The only thing I know is that I enjoyed reading it and talking about it in depth (I’m looking forward to the discussion about the final chapters on sunday when we can finally talk about ~the twist~), and out of all the books we collectively hated in the very famous very influential very intellectual discord book club, this is the one that I had the most fun hating on.
Two stars and change for the steady decline, three stars fr th mmrs.
Let’s start from the beginning: The Centre is a novel about a Pakistani woman that moved to London at eighteen to study translation; almost two decades after that and disillusioned with her prospects as a translator of Urdu, she decides she’ll frequent an incredibly secretive 10-day language course for the very modest price of twenty thousand pounds (!!!) and learn German, because she wants to translate the Great Works of Literature.
The very secretive language course is ominous as hell, but it comes with a 100% success rate, and once Anisa is accepted into the elite school, she becomes obsessed with the idea of uncovering its inner workings.
In one of the top reviews here on Goodreads I saw that the novel was described as the perfect book club book, and that person was so right! We’ve had a lot of fun talking shit about all the topics that the author opened up without ever giving them the appropriate amount of time and thought needed to develop them and create a well rounded piece of literature. What aided in stirring up the malice was the hope we all had in the book being a vessel for a voice that could tell A Lot in several different aspects (the whitewashed studies that made Anisa believe that only the whitest languages in Europe had any texts worth translating and the implications of an internalised racism she has never deconstructed and doesn’t recognise, the way the learning techniques of the Centre could influence her knowledge of the language, thus colouring her translations, and so on and so forth), but that eventually ended up driving forward a shallow — and somewhat insecure — finale.
The comparisons between the protagonist and the author, a Pakistani woman who moved to London in her late teens to study translation at uni, are glaringly obvious, and the author addresses them in an interview at the end of the audiobook, even comparing her experience writing the novel to that of Anisa translating her books. It will come to no one’s surprise then, when I say that the protagonist’s voice is probably what stands out the most in the book: the novel is narrated in the first person, and her colloquial tone makes her a very vivid individual, albeit an incredibly flawed one (insufferable! prone to virtue signaling! horrible girlfriend!). I really enjoyed reading her pov, and despite the vague suspect of Anisa being a blatant self insert (but that would be too easy!) I want to believe in the author’s abilities in recreating a character’s personality. I’d like to read more from her only to check what her writing style is when placed in a different environment.
That said, Anisa is a brown woman in the western world and is subject to racist micro-aggressions and sexism, but she still comes from a very privileged background that she hasn’t outgrown and refuses to acknowledge as something that could cloud her judgment — one constant in the book is her refusal to do any kind of growing. All of her struggles in the world of translation and academics are a thing of the past as the book progresses, and after she goes to the Centre everything comes easily to her, with no effort involved; she learns languages at the snap of a finger, she comes across no hurdles when finding someone that will publish her translations while before the stay at the Centre she routinely took Ls (even if she does have hurdles she glosses over them, time becoming a flurry to get us from point A to point B — it makes sense in the book, but it’s one of those sidesteps that changes the course of the novel from being a book about translation to being a book about The Mystery Behind The Centre). All of the privilege she accrues from her parents’ wealth and the friendship she develops with the manager of the Centre make it so that she never has to change, as she will always land in her safety net if her choices make her stray too much from the paved road.
This brings us to the final choice she makes in the novel, which I’ve been trying to wrap my head around since I finished reading and still haven’t found any sound reasoning behind: when faced with an ethical dilemma she ascribes her decision to what is sold to us as a feminist thought, à la “the only way out is through” kind of reasoning, and. I was so baffled. Even now I don’t know what to say.
The only thing I know is that I enjoyed reading it and talking about it in depth (I’m looking forward to the discussion about the final chapters on sunday when we can finally talk about ~the twist~), and out of all the books we collectively hated in the very famous very influential very intellectual discord book club, this is the one that I had the most fun hating on.
Two stars and change for the steady decline, three stars fr th mmrs.
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