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The Centre

A Novel

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The Centre

Written by: Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Narrated by: Balvinder Sopal
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About this listen

A darkly comic, speculative 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.

Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of “great works of literature,” but instead mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood movies, living off her parents’ generous allowance, and discussing the “underside of life” with her best friend, Naima. Anisa’s mediocre white boyfriend, Adam, only adds to her growing sense of inadequacy with his savant-level aptitude for languages, successfully leveraging his expansive knowledge into an enviable career.

But when Adam learns to speak Urdu with native fluency practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam begrudgingly tells Anisa about The Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees near-instant fluency in any language. Skeptical but intrigued, Anisa enrolls—stripped of her belongings, contact with the outside world, and bodily autonomy—and emerges ten days later 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.

By turns dark, funny, and surreal, and with twists thrilling and shocking, The Centre takes the listener on a journey through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation with biting specificity, and ultimately asking: what is success really worth?

©2023 Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi (P)2023 Zando
Literature & Fiction Suspense Comedy Exciting Fiction
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Engaging and Unique

Beautiful book, there is a part where she describes an interaction with a man that was so incredibly written I’m still shaking at its accuracy beyond the words - what a treasure you’ve written here!

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Really interesting story

I loved the different directions that the story took, and the way that it pushed reality. I was absolutely hooked.

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Underwhelming for how interesting the synopsis sounded

This book just didn't hold my attention or make me feel compelled to finish it. I did, in hopes the finale would grab, but it just didn't happen. The concept was interesting and it explores sexism and racism, which was thought provoking.

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