This was a really interesting book about language, super unique and not one that i’ve read before. I enjoyed it a lot!

The Centre is a book with a very intriguing premise – an elite place simply called ‘The Centre’ where residents can learn a language fluently in 2 weeks. For someone who translates for a living, like Anisa, this opens up amazing possibilities and soon Anisa is enrolling. As the novel continues, we soon realise there’s something not quite right about this revolutionary programme…

I found this book so easy to read, and really addictive – I raced through it! There’s a sense of danger lurking underneath the seemingly simple function of The Centre, which I loved, but it never felt too much. I found the relationships between characters the most interesting to read about really – in some ways, I found it more interesting than finding out about the actual secret of The Centre. This is largely because Anisa and the people around her are all intriguing and varied (though they’re all quite unlikeable, in my opinion – including Anisa!) and the tensions highlighted within the novel between people of different backgrounds made for really interesting reading.

I found this novel very readable – though it does get quite weird and dark at times, which was a bonus for me! – and there’s plenty of humour in there too, making this a recommended read.

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.

Anisa Ellahi's life is really not turning out quite as she had hoped. Working as a translator from Urdu to English, she is mostly relegated to subtitling Indian films, when she would much rather be doing more substantive work - like producing the definitive translations of great works of literature.

Despite her efforts, Anisa finds herself still reliant on the generous allowance provided by her parents, and is struggling with a sense of inadequacy because of all this. So when her boyfriend Adam suddenly learns to speak Urdu in a shockingly short time, Anisa decides to take a page out of his book.

Adam is reluctant to tell Anisa how he did it, but eventually confesses that he has been going to The Centre, a place that guarantees remarkably swift language learning.

Of course, that comes at a price. But it is not the price that Anisa - or anyone else - expects to be paying. The real story behind The Centre's success is far more sinister...

Siddiqi has delivered an interesting debut with this speculative novel based on an original idea. It is a gripping story and well worth a read.

Sorry, I gave this a go, but nothing about it made me want to finish it when it started sagging a bit.

I loved the unique concept and dark humour in this. A book I devoured in one sitting and a story that won’t leave my head!

Still reeling from the world of Babel, I was really intrigued reading this, thinking I’d be back in the depths of language and translations. And whilst languages are still central to the plot, there was pretty much nothing else I could’ve guessed about this book.

The Centre follows protagonist Anisa, a Pakistani woman in England, earning a living as a translator, captioning Bollywood films. Through some admittedly questionable relationship decisions, she stumbles on the centre, an institution that guarantees you total fluency in a language in just 10 days. However, like with all “too good to be true” claims, Anisa quickly learns that there more than meets the eye with this promise.

It’s difficult to give a full review without giving away too many spoilers, but if you’re into unexpected psychological thrillers, laced with poetic prose about translation, memory and culture, then I’d highly recommend this. I don’t think I’ve read anything that marries cultural appropriation, privilege and adverse perspectives in the way that The Centre does for a really really long time. Although missing Babel is what drew me to this in the first place, it is very difficult to compare it to anything else I’ve read.

That being said, I would say I did have a hard time with the pacing of this book. Some parts felt painfully long, especially during the beginning, but then other parts (especially climactic scenes) came and went in a blink of an eye. I think in addition to having your mind tripped by the events that unfold, the journey Siddiqi take you through them is also a mind trip in itself.

This is probably one of the vaguest reviews I’ve written, but I think the biggest struggle this book has left me with is trying to convince you to read this without giving away any spoilers. You just gotta trust me on this one. Just read it. It’ll trigger some interesting thoughts for sure.

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Publication date: 6 July 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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Anisa Ellahi, a Pakistani translator living in London, dreams of being a translator of "great works of literature." She ends up attending The Centre, a mysterious, elite language school which boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost.
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I thought this was a good debut; our main character, Anisa, has a strong narrative presence, and the author uses the themes of languages and translation to discuss colonialism, classism and racism. I also appreciated their take on the double standards of learning/speaking foreign languages: an English speaker will often be praised for speaking another language, but often someone who speaks English as their 2nd or 3rd language will be mocked, belittled and condescended to, especially if their English is broken (English is my second language. A few years ago, someone - upon hearing my foreign accent - started speaking to me very LOUDLY and very s l o w l y... I was like "Nah, you're alright mate; my grasp on the English language is probably more solid than yours!" 🙄) So yes, there were some fascinating and very thought-provoking topics in this book, which might have had a tendency to slow the pace in places.
I thought it was a little bit light on the mystery; I wish it had been darker and more disturbing (and what does that say about me? 😁) and even though I never mind an open ending, this one felt a bit too abrupt.
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I was completely captivated by Anisa's story! I found her narrative was believable and that the story developed well and at a quick pace to keep me interested (with lots of hints at something simister lurking in the shadows).

The twist/revelation about the truth behind how The Centre works was suitably chilling (not for the faint hearted!) 🫢

I was really surprised that this is a debut novel, there is so much skill here at plotting a compelling narrative that is in turns dark and funny whilst shining a light on language, translation and appropriation.

Thoroughly recommend to fans of A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon and Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love by Huma Qureshi.

Anisa wants to be a translator, but is stuck subtitling Bollywood films, until she comes across The Centre, where a select few can learn a language within weeks, but at what cost...?

I expected this to be a bit of a silly book, but it was actually quite cerebral, and the pacing and plot worked. Anisa was an interesting character and different dimensions of her life were explored, like her relationships and identity. Sometimes the writing was a little poor and didn't fit with the rest of the book though.

A very different novel - I'd give it a 7/10.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Picador for this ARC.

Anisa wants to translate the great books of literature but hasn't got the skills yet. After a boyfriend tells her about a place that can help her learn languages fast, she's intrigued but what is the secret to their success?

This was an interesting premise but sadly didn't deliver for me. I found the story slow and it didn't hook me in like I expected. Of all the characters Naima is probably the most likeable but its a stretch. The ending was a bit of let down for me. I wanted more, that being said it did fit with the flow of the story. The writing is good and descriptive. I'm sure others will enjoy the truth of how the centre works but it just wasn't for me.

Alisa is a Pakistani woman working as a subtitler in London. She's unfulfilled in her job and is in a mostly-dull relationship with Adam, who works in languages. She does, however, have a super best friend and a cute little cat - overall, she's happy enough, if a little bored.

On a trip to Alisa's home country, Adam surprises her by speaking fluent Urdu - a language he had no nowledge of the week before. Alisa's shock gives way to curiousity, and so she discovers The Centre, a super-private language school that promises complete fluency in a language in just 10 days. Is The Centre too good to be true? Who is to say!

I will say that it's best to go into this one without reading the blurb - I really think it gives too much of the plot away, and The Centre itself is better when slowly revealed within the text as opposed to on the back cover of the novel.

Even though I had some idea of what I was in for with this one, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi kept me hooked for the 300 odd pages of this novel. It does a very good job of building suspense and teasing the reader with ~what's really going on~ before yanking away the answers, which results in a fairly unputdownable debut. I would have liked a deeper dive into The Centre and how it works - the reader is left a bit in suspense about this as the novel finishes up quickly and ambiguously.

Alisa's work as a translator, and her identity as a Pakistani woman, bring up some interesting conversations in the book around colonialism and language: there's a laundry list of books that I think this novel is in conversation with - RF Kuang's Babel came to mind: both are fantasy novels (of a sort) that deal with colonialism and ~translation as betrayal~. The Centre is illuminating and compelling on hot-button topics like racism and appropriation, as seen through the eyes of our protagonist, a Pakistani woman, adds nuance and offers up a perspective I haven't seen before.

The Centre is not a perfect novel - I can see why some reviews critique Alisa as a passive narrator, though I think this makes sense given the novel's ending. I would have liked a deeper dive into The Centre and how it works - the reader is left a bit in suspense about this as the novel finishes up quickly and ambiguously. There's also a potential assault/very weird sex scene towards the novel's close that felt gratuitous; I am not sure what the point of it was. And some of the plot elements felt a bit rushed and pointless, like Adam, who just existed as a catalyst for Alisa finding the centre. Nevertheless, I've read a bunch of zeitgesty novels lately and this held my attention more than many that I could mention. Read it quickly, and have fun.

Anisa is working as a translator writing subtitles for Bollywood movies but feels a bit stuck with where she is in life. She starts dating Adam who speaks like, 8 languages. They take a trip to Pakistan to stay with Anisa's parents and on the plane, Adam starts speaking Urdu fluently. Mind you he's barely been able to pick up a word of this language before. Anisa forces him to tell her how he's managed it & he tells her about The Centre.

This was... I kind of wanted more from it. I think I just found Anisa quite an apathetic character, she didn't seem to have a really strong reaction to most of the things that were happening. I really enjoyed Naima, her best friend, and was always hoping to see a bit more of her. I was intrigued to find out what was happening but this wasn't a book that I devoured in one sitting. I kind of found I didn't care too much when I wasn't reading it? I think the blurb got me very excited but it ended up giving away a good portion of the plot which is a shame.

‘The Centre’ by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi follows Anisa, a Pakistani translator who is offered what seems like a too-good-to-be-true opportunity to become fluent in a new language in only ten days. In order to do so, she must enlist in The Centre—a secretive, invite-only programme that gives off major cult vibes. What unfolds is an interrogation of the politics of language, translation and appropriation, before posing the question: what price would you pay for success?

I loved this book. It reminded me of the social commentary present in ‘Yellowface’ by R.F. Kuang and ‘She Is A Haunting’ by Trang Thanh Tran, dashed with the speculative premise of a ‘Black Mirror’ episode. I loved Siddiqi's exploration of what it means to be an immigrant and found myself relating to Anisa and her experience of not knowing her mother tongue well enough. It reminded me of my own struggles maintaining my first language to communicate with my family and how alienating it can be when there's that barrier.

Siddiqi reminds us of the power that language holds, but also looks at how certain languages are valued above others. I found it interesting then that, instead of choosing to become fluent in her native language, Anisa chooses to learn German—a language she perceives to be lucrative for her translation work. She proclaims her excitement at the prospect of understanding "great works of literature", citing the likes of Freud and Nietzsche, and this desire shows how easily language can become a cultural commodity that's ultimately rooted in colonialism.

But language isn't all that ‘The Centre’ is about. This is also a story of sexual awakening and coming to terms with the past, with Anisa having to reframe how she sees herself and experiences the world. Siddiqi's conversational writing is punctuated by beautiful, nuanced descriptions, particularly in relation to Anisa's romantic feelings when she has a bit of a bisexual awakening.

Unfortunately, this plotline is mostly abandoned and the story does meander a bit in the second half. But overall this was a thought-provoking read and I was so invested in finding out about The Centre and their language acquisition methods.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an advanced digital copy to review.

DNF.

It started out well. Pacing great. Well written. The contradictory portrayal of Muslims was a bit too much for me to continue. It feels like there was no sensitivity readers. The protagonist could have been an atheist and saved all the problems.

The Centre follow Anisa, a translator whose career isn’t quite what she thought it would be. When an opportunity arises to attend an exclusive intensive language retreat, Anisa gets more than just a mastery of German.

There is a creepy tension throughout the novel which culminates in an ending feels frenzied and hectic - apt given the situation!

Siddiqi also peppers the story with Anisa’s observation on language, gender and culture. This really elevates the novel beyond a standard horror/thriller. It is a great pick for book clubs (not for the squeamish!)

I thought this book was fab and am really looking forward to what Siddiqi writes next.

Great cover too.

Pick up this book up if: you’re looking for a creepy, smart story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book never really grabbed my attention, and I also felt the ending was rushed and strange. Thanks for the galley.

Okay firstly this has a WILD twist, and that basis alone I would recommend it. However, diving deeper into the concept (without spoilers), I did find it a little abrupt and would've liked to have had more with that twist after it was revealed. It was also quite slow up until that point, and the relationships just seemed to be abandoned a bit at various points (or not resolved). Mixed bag but still worth reading and definitely great for. book club discussions

At first glance, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's The Centre sounds like one of the many zeitgeisty novels that are about at the moment, novels with gimmicky premises like 'what if all feminists had to live in submarines'. Its blurb promises the story of a British-Pakistani translator, Anisa, who is introduced to the exclusive, secretive Centre, where you can learn any language in two weeks. Anisa, who speaks English and Urdu alongside some French, currently spends her time writing subtitles for Bollywood films, and thinks that truly mastering a European language like German will see her recognised as the 'serious translator' she desires to be. The Centre, however, is so much more than its grabby concept. It's a beautiful, thoughtful novel about how we devour that which we most want, how eating up things in this way is taken as a sign of respect, and how doing this often leaves us hungry.

Siddiqi's novel is so good because it is about Anisa herself, rather than just about the Centre. And Anisa is a brilliant, frustrating and fascinating narrator. In many ways, she ticks off 'disaster women' tropes - single in her thirties, unsatisfying employment, a sense of unfulfilled potential - but she's not a 'disaster woman', because in many ways she's quite happy with where she is. She has one relationship during the course of the novel but doesn't seem to be seeking others. Instead, her true anchors are her female friendships, especially with her long-term friend Naima. But throughout the course of this novel, Anisa also negotiates and rethinks her ideas about power. She's frustrated with the casual racism of a white boyfriend, but also has to accept that his working-class background means that her readings of his motives aren't always correct. A confrontation with Naima makes her reconsider some of her unconscious judgments about Naima's tantric retreats, but also raises questions about relationships, and what women sacrifice for men, that the novel wisely leaves unanswered. Moving between London, Karachi and Delhi, Siddiqi also explores the shifting ways that Anisa is read in each of these cities, and the way that she reads others.

In the end, The Centre also asks what the response of people of colour, especially women, and speakers of marginalised or stigmatised languages, should be to the consumption of their cultures. Should oppressed groups consume in their turn? Should they try and take down violent institutions from within, or will this just end in their own destruction? These are questions that resonate with RF Kuang's recent Babel but also go far beyond it. A wonderful piece of speculative fiction. 4.5 stars.

Siddiqi's writing is evocative and atmospheric, painting a vivid picture of The Centre's eerie atmosphere. The plot is intricately woven with layers of suspense and intrigue, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. With its compelling characters and cleverly crafted twists, The Centre is a gripping page-turner that skillfully combines elements of mystery and psychological suspense. Siddiqi's storytelling prowess shines through, making this a must-read for thriller enthusiasts.