Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Nota Bene Prize.
A dark and surreal literary thriller following an adrift Pakistani translator in London who attends a mysterious language school. It boasts complete fluency in just ten days, but at a secret, sinister cost . . .
'Black Mirror take on the world of language' – The Observer
'Absolutely stunning . . . thrilling and unique' - Gillian Flynn
'Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining' - Emma Stonex
'A thrillingly ambitious literary chiller' - The Guardian
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 you 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?
Details
18 July 2024
9781529097849Reviews
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 rosé. Siddiqi has the gift of maintaining propulsion and mystery, while keeping things human and realistic . . . compelling . . . wonderful
An absolutely stunning and unique novel . . . A book that is not only thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare
Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining . . . I was gripped
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.
