The Centre

A Novel

By: Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

Narrated by: Balvinder Sopal

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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

The personal insights were fascinating

The ending was very abrupt and seemed unfinished, I felt like the story ended at least some more

Great story! Could be so much more!

I loved this book, but I’d give a pinky, if not my life story, to have the learning mechanisms explained more thoroughly!

Listen to this! If JUST for the narrator

Book is very good if a little repetitive (time at the Centre-I'm looking at you) but the narrator is amazing!! I hope she narrates more.

If Secret history had a book baby with The vegetarian

This book is an icredible exploration of class, race and priviledge while being an incredibly tense literarry thriller (and language nerd porn). Outstanding and well paced narrative.
Without spoiling anything, I found the ending very well done, though if you like neatly packaged ends, it might not be for you.
I would say if you enjoy Yellowface, The subtweet, The vegetarian or if you just need to fill a dark academia shaped hole in your life, look no further.
Also the experence of listening to the story in audio format gives this book an added layer in my opinion.

Unique and provoking

The plot was timely and sci- fi in the way of Babel, etc. but really explored themes of class, morality, sexuality in a brown girl world that was impactful for a white, middle aged reader who grew up with such girls. Really enjoyed and appreciated the authors approach to all themes and a solid, good story!

Mediocre book – Phenomenal Narrator!

I liked the premise of the book, it had great potential, but fell flat. If I had read it, I’m not sure I would have even finished it. What saved this book for me was the narration. The narrator’s voice was very emotive, pleasant to listen to, and each character was so distinct I could tell who was speaking just by the voice. Strange story, disappointing ending, but loved the narrator!

Great book

This is a very complex, slow burning mystery, though maybe mystery is not quite right. It really is an analysis of women, who they are and want to be, and also about race and culture, what is lost when you leave a place versus what might be gained. much of the book looks at cultural appropriations through romantic relationships, literature, and the learning of language. There is so much in the book to feast on; many ideas to reflect upon. I truly loved this book until the very end, because it didn't end. The book just stopped. Boom. And I am left confused.

Not for me

The writer, writes beautifully. The reader, reads beautifully. I took this book to go outside my area of comfort, and I must say I didn’t really enjoy it. I kept waiting for something to happen. it was a beautifully told story that didn’t really resonate with me would be the best way to say it.

Gripping, fun, and so smart

I loved this book so much. It was beautifully written and performed. Despite being fun and accessible, it is packed with big ideas—about language, colonization, gender and power. The Q&A with the author at the end is a treat. She communicates nuance and complexity in an engaging and deeply relatable voice. ❤️

Memorable story, outstanding narrator

I won't discuss the plot at all because readers will have strong, personal responses to it, but the writing and many of her insights about translation and language were moving and insightful. I will definitely read Siddiqi’s next work!

As for the narrator, Balvinder Sopal is among the elite Audible narrators. Truly a memorable listen, with nuances of characters conveyed so clearly as well as a clear sense of the author’s rich style. She made this a fantastic experience—best of the best!