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bookishconnections's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages and the premise sounded right up my street.
As I got more into it, the storyline just seemed to fragment.
The author was talking about lots of different issues via the character and then when the real issue of how the centre work came through, I was surprised and kind of horrified but by the end it ended so abruptly, any progress or conclusion made was gone.
I would recommend this book for fans of Mexican Gothic, Earthling or Burnt Sugar because it is very claustrophobic and focuses on body horror as well as a very uncomfortable sexual situation that may trigger some people.
Some of the tangents in the book were just not developed as much as they could be but the narrator made this book incredibly engaging which is why I rated it higher than I would have otherwise.
As I got more into it, the storyline just seemed to fragment.
The author was talking about lots of different issues via the character and then when the real issue of how the centre work came through, I was surprised and kind of horrified but by the end it ended so abruptly, any progress or conclusion made was gone.
I would recommend this book for fans of Mexican Gothic, Earthling or Burnt Sugar because it is very claustrophobic and focuses on body horror as well as a very uncomfortable sexual situation that may trigger some people.
Some of the tangents in the book were just not developed as much as they could be but the narrator made this book incredibly engaging which is why I rated it higher than I would have otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual assault
jamiee_f's review
I loved the premise, I liked our main character, and I was so excited to understand the mystery of The Centre! Anisa was sassy and online and very millenial which I appreciated. She's even kind of an unlikeable main character, which I usually enjoy. There was good commentary on success, friendships, relationships, finding yourself, being an immigrant/child of immigrants, cultural appropriation, who has a right to write which stories, class consciousness, and I liked most of that but it was a LOT to tackle all at once. Then it just.....absolutely dragged in the last half/third.
I couldn't motivate myself to finishafter it seemed like we were slowly driving towards magic cannibalism without a real explanation, and it seemed like all our characters were on board with it. I guessed it would be some sort of cannibalism pretty early on, but by the end it felt like the metaphor of cannibalizing people's souls for cannibalizing culture got SO heavy handed but also didn't go far enough.
I looked up the ending after I met the men who created the center by paying slaves to participate and submit their bodies/souls to the process, because the book was moving too slowly, and it was no longer fun how unlikable all these characters were. I was more interested in understanding the how and why of the process, that's what I was hoping for, but it didn't feel fleshed out enough (no pun intended). I also didn't like the reveal at the end that our main character decided to dedicate her own soul to the Centre. Like...why? It was unsatisfying to me.
I wanted to like it, I wish the ending third did it for me, because the premise was so call and the first two thirds I enjoyed! I would try another work from this author.
I couldn't motivate myself to finish
I looked up the ending after I met the men who created the center by paying slaves to participate and submit their bodies/souls to the process, because the book was moving too slowly, and it was no longer fun how unlikable all these characters were. I was more interested in understanding the how and why of the process, that's what I was hoping for, but it didn't feel fleshed out enough (no pun intended). I also didn't like the reveal at the end that our main character decided to dedicate her own soul to the Centre. Like...why? It was unsatisfying to me.
I wanted to like it, I wish the ending third did it for me, because the premise was so call and the first two thirds I enjoyed! I would try another work from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Sexual assault, Death, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
stellahadz's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book had an interesting premise, but I think either the execution didn't deliver as much as I expected or I'm not clever enough to understand the point of certain plot elements. It seems like translation is supposed to be a metaphor, I'm just not sure what for, and that's always frustrating for me as a reader. Still, I found the theme of translation and the commentary on language and privilege really interesting. I liked Anisa and Naima's friendship, as well as Anisa's musings on her family and other relationships. The plot felt like it was missing something, especially towards the end, and the reveal of the Centre's secrets felt extremely rushed and glossed over. I also found the scene in Arjun's office unnecessary. However, the actual ending of the book was kind of perfect in a chilling way.
This is definitely the kind of book you have to dive deep into, so it might be fun for a book club or reading group. At times it feels like there are just a few too many topics and themes being stuffed into a relatively short book, but Siddiqi's prose is excellent. I'd love to read more of her work.
This is definitely the kind of book you have to dive deep into, so it might be fun for a book club or reading group. At times it feels like there are just a few too many topics and themes being stuffed into a relatively short book, but Siddiqi's prose is excellent. I'd love to read more of her work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Racism, Classism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent
emilywemily6's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I was underwhelmed by this book based on my expectations. In general I found a lot to like about it, but felt that it was neither comic nor a true horror novel, as this book was described. It felt much more like a literary fiction novel with a sprinkle of horror elements. There wasn’t much suspense throughout the story even though the truth was hinted at being mysterious the whole time. I wasn’t even phased when the truth came out. I didn’t like particularly like the main character and found that she became more hypocritical throughout the book, like she was trying so hard to appear woke but then failed to see her own classist/racist/etc. shortcomings. The narrative felt very intimate, but because my dislike increased throughout the book for the main character, that intimacy was not my favorite. I found the discussions on language/linguistics interesting, and also the basic premise of The Centre. I also like how the narrative showed that the main character was actually recording for The Centre. The novels she translated also sounded super interesting! The ending was anticlimactic though, and her decision in the end didn’t really fit with her character up until that point in the story. I think I was hoping for more suspense and horror throughout this book, and even the big reveal was lacking. If you love literary fiction and want to tread lightly into horror, this is for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Classism, Cursing, Alcohol, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Medical content, Pedophilia, and Drug use
sinisterbeard's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I liked a lot of this but once the twist was revealed, I refuse to believe that Sheba was hot or charming enough for Anisa not to immediately run screaming as fast as she could all the way back to London.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Cannibalism
leonorekoki's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Darkly funny and disturbing. A horror novel about a mysterious school that guarantees new language fluency in 10 days AND it features a translator main character? This was a premise tailor-made for me.
Like R.F. Kuang’s Babel (which I loved), it explores how language can be used as an imperialist tool and plays with the idea of translation as an appropriative, even violent act. Funnier in tone, though, and Manazir Siddiqi brings her own fresh voice.
The book started out strong. I loved seeing the world through Anisa’s eyes and was engrossed in the first half—then it fell apart for me. I had trouble with the pacing and plot decisions, especially in the final third and felt completely dissatisfied with the ending. I was reading in audio and when the acknowledgements came on I was convinced they were a meta part of the story because I couldn’t believe it could end so abruptly. Generally I don’t mind an open ending, but this one just felt unfinished—like it could have really used a stronger editing hand.
Anyway, disappointed as I was by the end of my reading experience, this was such a promising debut. I liked the first part so much that I’m excited to read whatever the author writes next.
Like R.F. Kuang’s Babel (which I loved), it explores how language can be used as an imperialist tool and plays with the idea of translation as an appropriative, even violent act. Funnier in tone, though, and Manazir Siddiqi brings her own fresh voice.
The book started out strong. I loved seeing the world through Anisa’s eyes and was engrossed in the first half—then it fell apart for me. I had trouble with the pacing and plot decisions, especially in the final third and felt completely dissatisfied with the ending. I was reading in audio and when the acknowledgements came on I was convinced they were a meta part of the story because I couldn’t believe it could end so abruptly. Generally I don’t mind an open ending, but this one just felt unfinished—like it could have really used a stronger editing hand.
Anyway, disappointed as I was by the end of my reading experience, this was such a promising debut. I liked the first part so much that I’m excited to read whatever the author writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Cannibalism
exhaustrovert's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Murder and Sexual assault
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual harassment, and Islamophobia
Minor: Gore
daepyonimst's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
Minor: Cannibalism
albernikolauras's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This might end up being a favorite of the year. I just don't know.
The Centre follows Anisa as she finds out about a language school that allows you to master the language in 10 days (for quite a price) and how Anisa's life changes because of it. This book is rich in character study as you follow Anisa into her obsession of becoming a renowned translator. This book drips with discussions on colonialism and its affects on language, people, and their families. I think it handles this discussion on a level that I wished Babel had (disclaimer - I DNFed Babel 30% in so maybe it changed).
Such a fun book with such a complicated character.
The Centre follows Anisa as she finds out about a language school that allows you to master the language in 10 days (for quite a price) and how Anisa's life changes because of it. This book is rich in character study as you follow Anisa into her obsession of becoming a renowned translator. This book drips with discussions on colonialism and its affects on language, people, and their families. I think it handles this discussion on a level that I wished Babel had (disclaimer - I DNFed Babel 30% in so maybe it changed).
Such a fun book with such a complicated character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Xenophobia, Classism, and Misogyny