Description

Shortlisted for the Nota Bene Prize

‘Absolutely stunning . . . thrilling and unique’ – Gillian Flynn
‘Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining’ – Emma Stonex
‘A thrillingly ambitious literary chiller’ – The Guardian

Welcome to The Centre. The cost may be high, but you’ll never be the same . . .

Anisa Ellahi longs to become a translator of ‘great works of literature’, but right now she is stuck in her London flat writing subtitles for Bollywood films.

Then she is told about the Centre, an elite, invite-only programme that guarantees complete fluency in any language in just ten days. Seduced by all that it could make possible, Anisa enrols. But the Centre’s services come at a disturbing hidden cost. Still – it’s worth it, right? After all, success comes at a price . . .

By turns dark, funny and surreal, The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi takes the reader on a journey through Karachi, London and New Delhi. Throughout it interrogates the sticky politics of language, translation and appropriation and asks: what price would you be willing to pay for success?

‘Fantastic . . . This Black Mirror take on the world of language opens up questions of cultural appropriation, the power of language, memory and privilege’ – The Observer

Publisher Review

Fantastic . . . This Black Mirror take on the world of language opens up questions of cultural appropriation, the power of language, memory and privilege . . . Siddiqi’s easy storytelling and her heroine Anisa’s sweet narrative voice slip down like summer rose. Siddiqi has the gift of maintaining propulsion and mystery, while keeping things human and realistic . . . compelling . . . wonderful * The Observer * An absolutely stunning and unique novel . . . A book that is not only thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare — Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining . . . I was gripped — Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters This thrillingly ambitious literary chiller . . . balances the light with the profound, combining humour and horror as it takes on issues of power and privilege, class, identity, assimilation and more. * Guardian * Ingenious . . . This is a book whose many delights and horrors are unlikely to be lost in translation * New York Times * The Centre is a banger! . . . A book that feels both cheery and terrifying, The Centre draws you in with a gentle hand until it throws the mallet down in the last thirty pages. A terrific meditation on language, diaspora, alienation, and culture, it will stay with you long after you read — Chelsea G Summers, author of A Certain Hunger Propulsive and profound. I was gripped by the mystery haunting the core of the book – and equally gripped by Siddiqi’s exploration of the power of language . . . a debut of dazzling wit and insight — Helen Phillips, author of The Need A twisting mystery and nuanced exploration of identity and assimilation, The Centre cuts deep . . . A compelling, witty, sometimes gruesome tale of how we use language to connect and to sever, appropriate and explore — Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark and The Upstairs House I am obsessed with this book and you will be too! A brilliant meditation on language and translation and the most gripping novel I’ve read in forever . . . I’m in awe — Jennifer Croft, author of Homesick As haunting as it is tempting; this book devoured me back — Sarah Gailey, author of Just Like Home and Eat the Rich A gripping, surreal mystery about language, identity, and greed. The Centre explores impossible success at an equally impossible price-and the difference between merely paying for something and truly understanding its dark cost — Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers The most fascinating debut I’ve read in years-enigmatic, biting, absurd, and right when you think you’ve got it figured out, utterly horrifying — Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Water (with Guillermo del Toro) Incredible . . . it’s creepy AF, in the best way possible. Highly recommend! — Lamya H, author of Hijab Butch Blues Filled with astute insights into life as a brown person in a predominantly white country . . . A fast-paced thriller with its finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary social discourse * Kirkus * Manazir Siddiqi’s ambitious debut packs insightful observations about racism, classism, and colonialism into a dark mystery . . . a writer to watch * Publishers Weekly * [An] inventive debut… The Centre informs the current social discourse by offering wry, shrewd insights into colonialism, appropriation and classism, resonant of Elaine Hsieh Chou’s Disorientation and RF Kuang’s Yellowface — Rabeea Saleem, The Irish Times Truly fascinating . . . a dialogue-rich drama with comic undertones and a creepy thriller nestled within * Shelf Awareness * One of the most original books published this year * Eastern Eye, Best books of 2023 * The novel explores friendship, purpose, and power * New Yorker, The Best Books of 2023 *