The Centre

'Thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare' - Gillian Flynn, author of Gone GirlA darkly comic, boundary-pushing 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, & 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 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, & surreal, & with twists page-turning & shocking, The Centre takes the reader on a journey through Karachi, London, & New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation, & appropriation with biting specificity, & ultimately asking: what is success really worth? A remarkable debut from Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, announcing the arrival of an extraordinary new talent. 'Absolutely stunning . . . thrilling and unique' - Gillian Flynn 'Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining' - Emma Stonex 'A banger!' - Chelsea G Summers 'Fantastic . . . compelling . . . wonderful' - The Observer Welcome to The Centre. You'll never be the same . . . Anisa Ellahi spends her days writing subtitles for Bollywood films in her London flat, all the while longing to be a translator of 'great works of literature'. Her boyfriend Adam's extraordinary aptitude for languages only makes her feel worse, but when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam tells Anisa about the Centre, an elite, invite-only programme that guarantees total fluency in any language in just ten days. Sceptical but intrigued, Anisa enrols. Stripped of her belongings and contact with the outside world, she undergoes the Centre's strange and rigorous processes. But as she enmeshes herself further within the organization, seduced by all that it's made possible, she soon realizes the disturbing, hidden cost of its services. By turns dark, funny and surreal, The Centre takes the reader 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 price would you be willing to pay for success? A remarkable debut from Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi, announcing the arrival of an extraordinary new talent.