This overall is a good book, with a brilliant writing style that meant it was a ‘easy’ (in terms of finishing it, not in terms of content) read. The faults in my opinion lie solely in the somewhat, rushes ending that I feel leaves a lot to be desired. In terms of the overarching content Siddiqi’s premise was unique and does a good job at weaving in some tough themes often not represented in literature including - heritage, immigration and identity. I will highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror elements in more ‘commercial’ aligned fiction.

One of the most unique thrillers I have come across with such a strong, compelling protagonist - I loved the combination of wit and intrigue. I really appreciated how the author dealt with such a difficult and rarely explored topic - very much down to her talent as an author.

Somebody needs to call Yorgos Lanthimos, pronto! "The Centre" could turn into one amazing, disturbing, mind-screwing piece of cinematic wonder!

But the book. I LIKED it a LOT! I liked the topic, the fascinating mystery, dark undertones, brooding sexuality and very likeable main heroine! I found myself IMMEDIATELY drawn into the story, intrigued by the premise, fascinated by the idea of proficiency in any language within 2 weeks, feeling drawn to the likeable narrator. Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi's has a wonderful dark sense of humour and the book is full of comic observations.

I applaud the way the author introduces such topics as identity, immigration, culture and custom into the narrative, using these to add to the story. The books is intelligent without being high-brow and horrifying without being slashy. I will stop here to avoid any spoilers.

The ending feels slightly rushed and, if you let your imagination run wild, you might guess where the story is going just around the 70-80% mark. But all in all - an enjoyable if slightly disturbing read!

Last but not least, beware of spoilers!

The Centre follows Anisa Ellahi, a Pakistani translator living in London, who dreams of doing more with her life. When her boyfriend, Adam, suprises her with his knowledge of Urdu, she is introduced to this mysterious language school that boasts about language fluency in just ten days. However, like a lot of things that are mysterious, and at times unbelievable, this comes at a sinister cost.

I flew through this book like it was nothing, thanks to the author’s wit and well-written passages. It was easy to be immersed into the story-line, constantly anticipating what is gonna happen next. I would say it’s more horror than thrilling, with a constant lingering feeling of being weary for what’s to come. The first half of the book started off pretty slow, and was basically a more through description of the synopsis of the book. The second half, however, is where things start picking up the pace and things start happening– quite gruesome and sinister things.

I appreciated the way the author was able to weave in themes such as heritage, immigration, and the complexities of language and identity without swerving away from the main plot. In my opinion, those kinds conversations are always appreciated in books.

The ending felt a little rushed. I still had some lingering questions and the short and abrupt ending did not help. I wish we got more out of the ending– it felt incomplete for some reason.

2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an Advanced Reader’s copy of The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi to read in exchange for an honest book review.

I'd heard a lot of people on my social media feeds talking about this book, and as it was from a lot of people I trust, I decide to give it a go.

I was a bit worried it would be a bit "high concept" for me, but the writing was just SO compelling I couldn't put it down. It did such a good job of blending a high concept with a realistic setting and realistic characters.

Like with a lot of high concept art however, I started to lose interest towards the end while everything was "explained". I prefer to just not understand I think!

This book is going to be everywhere this summer.

4 stars

This book has a great premise, and the cover is absolutely stunning, but unfortunately this didn't quite work for me. I found the pacing uneven, with not enough time spent on the most intriguing/horrific parts of the book, and I couldn't connect with the protagonist enough to be invested in her journey. I thought there were lots of interesting questions raised but none of them were explored in depth—the narrative keeps bringing up questions of privilege, race, gender, sexuality, etc etc, but never engages with them in any significant way. There were bits of it that I really loved (the imperative "listen!" with which South Asians begin conversations), and bits that bewildered me (the protagonist observes that she heard someone say "hi" in an Indian accent, and I can't begin to think how that one syllable would be so easily identifiable...) Ultimately, I wanted to love this a lot more than I did.

I do think it's likely that the book will spark interesting conversations, though, and I look forward to seeing how people react to it upon release.

I found this book a real mix. It is generally well written but the premise and the final part of the book are rather distasteful. There were some interesting insights into racism and culture.

The Centre is a novel about a mysterious language learning centre and a Pakistani woman in London who is drawn into its strange world. Anisa wants to translate "great works of literature", but actually translates Bollywood films, complains about life with her best friend Naima, and ends up with a white boyfriend, Adam, who seems to know a surprising number of languages fluently. After Adam learns Urdu almost instantly, Anisa needs to know his secret, but it turns out to be a strange language learning facility called the Centre, expensive and so secret you can only tell one person about it. Drawn by the promise of translation, Anisa signs up, follows its weird rules, and starts to uncover the secrets of the Centre, intoxicated by her mentor, Shiba.

This is a book that immediately draws you in, with a gripping writing style and opening chapters that give you plenty of clues that things are going to get stranger, especially with this concept of being able to learn a language so quickly. The blurb does give a fair bit of this away, meaning you are filled with unease even before Anisa goes to the Centre, but the novel also packs a lot of other ideas in too: thoughts about translation, privilege, race, class, and fulfilment that are woven throughout. Anisa is a complex narrator, often self-centred and unaware, trying to think about things but also justifying stuff to herself however she needs, and these become relevant to the book as a whole as it seems that the Centre's secrets fit in with these elements too.

The twist is set up pretty well, so it is something you can guess, but also suits the suggested ominous tone with almost a darkly comic edge, satirising at times what rich people actually think is acceptable. The book doesn't really answer the questions it raises, but rather invites you to consider some of the complexities and ambiguities within, like the act of translation. It is an entertaining ride that it is easy to get hooked by.

Anisa translates subtitles for Bollywood movies. She starts a relationship with Adam, a hyperpolyglot. Adam eventually tells Anisa how he has learned so many languages and introduces her to the secretive Centre.
Anisa takes a course there, and is supervised by the charismatic Shiba. They develop a friendship and Anisa finds out more about the centre's methods.
The book starts well, and there is some lovely writing, but the later chapters take the story into an unexpected and unpleasant direction.

Anisa is a film translator but lately she's felt as though her Urdu isn't as good as it was when she originally moved to London. Her boyfriend Adam has a knack for languages and when she realises he has mastered Urdu at remarkable speed she challenges him. He admits that he has been attending an extremely exclusive and intense language centre that guarantees you'll be fluent in 10 days. The twists in this book as so unexpected and I was completely hooked, pretty much binged it in one sitting!

A unique literary read with a slight dash of Black Mirror exploring the lives of Pakistani women and how they find their place in Britain and the complexity of languages and the gaps of communication.
This follows Anisa who translates Bollywood movies by writing their subtitles. She comes from an affluent family, born and raised in Karachi. Now she lives in London. She meets Adam one evening and the two start dating. It was interesting to see the complexities and nuances of an interracial relationship. The plot comes into being when Adam all of a sudden fluently starts speaking Urdu and reveals to Anisa his secret - the centre, where for twenty thousand pounds you can learn a language in two weeks. At the centre Anisa develops a friendship with Shiba, who runs the place. There is an obvious flirtation there (unfortunately this isn’t explored). Halfway through the novel when Anisa returns to the centre to study another language, she stumbles upon information and begins to realise the centre has dark secrets…
This took awhile to get going, plotwise, and in the end there were so many unanswered questions that left me unsatisfied. I didn’t find the “twist” shocking, as I’ve seen it done quite a few times in other stories. I think I just left really confused, unsure of what the author’s intentions were as the book has so many themes chucked together but none come together. It wasn’t fully the exploration of privilege and the intersectional relationship between POC, nor was it completely an exploration of languages and what a privilege they can be. Also the plot just doesn’t come together at all. The story meanders at times and occasionally feels like an essay or an article.
This is a good attempt at a debut and I did find it readable, but ultimately I felt more lost and confused than moved and changed.

I was completely compelled by the stunning cover (my goodness all the editions of this novel are absolutely beautiful) and the premise of the novel so I requested this book, and when my approval came through I found myself promptly reading this and finished it in two days in greedy gulps. It is a pacy book with prose that is not too flowery or purple. I was also intrigued to see what the Centre’s secrets were and how the book resolves itself. However ultimately I did feel disappointed and unfortunately the plot didn’t come through for me. The story tries to explore too many themes and it just fell flat. Perhaps it’s important to be clear that this is a character driven read, not a plot driven one, so if you’re looking for something commercial you might be disappointed. However if you like literary books that don’t tie things up in a neat bow, you might like this.
The book follows Anisa, who writes English subtitles for Bollywood films (a job that sounds the dream but pays pennies). However she’s lucky cause her family is rich and support her. She grew up in Karachi where her dad is a surgeon or such, and she moved to England when she was 20 to study where she met her friends. Now she’s in her late 30s and aimless. She lives a nice life full of privilege but at times does face micro-aggression due to her race. At a lecture she meets Adam, a white man who grew up poor but educated himself and now he speaks several languages fluently and works for international organisations translating. The two start dating and before long they’ve moved in together and are talking about marriage. Adam can barely speak a word of Urdu so on the flight to Pakistan when he breaks into fluent Urdu, Anisa is stunned and shocked. That’s when he tells about the Centre, an elitist place that works on recommendation only. You learn a language and during your lifetime you can recommend only one other person. It costs twenty grand and you have to sign a NDA, but after two weeks you leave absolutely fluent in your chosen language. Anisa decides to enrol and her life changes forever…
I really liked the prose which was easy to read and reminded me of Fleabag, but I felt the character of Anisa just doesn’t grow enough by the end nor does she take responsibility to get her life together cause girl you’re about to be forty soon, and how long can you sponge off your parents for. I found her self-indulgent at times, and rather grating such as her insecurity and entitlement when her friend decides to move out of London so her boyfriend and her can buy a house. Like woman, she doesn’t need to ask your permission! Other characters do call her out though and I liked the character of Adam. I wasn’t personally a fan of the twist at the end which reminds me of too many movies these days which also use this twist and have eerily similar explanations for their abhorrent actions. It had a good hook but the execution unfortunately just wasn’t there for me.

An intriguing premise that explores themes of racism, language, privilege and existentialism. Our protagonist is Anisa, a woman in her late 30s, who meets Adam, a white man, and the two end up in a relationship. Then when Anisa takes Adam to Pakistan to visit her family she discovers that her boyfriend of a year who could never speak a single word of Urdu is overnight somehow fluent. When she confronts him, he reveals he’s been doing intense courses at The Centre. But is it a cult or an elitist place of learning?
This was a short novel, and I read this rather quickly. I was completely absorbed in this complex tale of privilege and racism. I am finding it strange however to pitch this novel. It’s not quite a dystopian read, nor is it a drama or a thriller or a contemporary although it has contemporary vibes. It’s a literary novel that is character-driven, however incredibly accessible and thought-provoking. A perfect book club read!

Wow, wow, wow!! That’s all I can say. I really enjoyed reading about Adam, Anisa and Shiba.
I really thought it was a thought provoking book. I also loved the way that the story was told almost in a meta way, I’ll admit I did not see the twist coming but I suppose that’s my fault for not fully ingesting what it was I was reading.
I read it over the course of two days because I really wanted to know how it was going to end.
I’d love to read more from this author.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the arc copy.

So I asked for this book expecting to see some nuanced takes on racism, integration in a western society, and expression through various languages. Some were delivered, but then since my issue with the book is also a spoiler, I will refrain from saying anything until I think over it. But I am flatly disappointed by this, and it has left a bad taste in my mouth.