The Centre

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 * The Observer * An absolutely stunning and unique novel . . . A book that is not only thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare -- Gillian Flynn, author of <i>Gone Girl</i> Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining . . . I was gripped -- Emma Stonex, author of <i>The Lamplighters</i> The Centre is a banger! . . . A book that feels both cheery and terrifying, The Centre draws you in with a gentle hand until it throws the mallet down in the last thirty pages. A terrific meditation on language, diaspora, alienation, and culture, it will stay with you long after you read -- Chelsea G Summers, author of <i>A Certain Hunger</i> Propulsive and profound. I was gripped by the mystery haunting the core of the book — and equally gripped by Siddiqi’s exploration of the power of language . . . a debut of dazzling wit and insight -- Helen Phillips, author of <i>The Need</i> A twisting mystery and nuanced exploration of identity and assimilation, The Centre cuts deep . . . A compelling, witty, sometimes gruesome tale of how we use language to connect and to sever, appropriate and explore -- Julia Fine, author of <i>Maddalena and the Dark</i> and <i>The Upstairs House</i> I am obsessed with this book and you will be too! A brilliant meditation on language and translation and the most gripping novel I've read in forever . . . I'm in awe -- Jennifer Croft, author of <i>Homesick</i> As haunting as it is tempting; this book devoured me back -- Sarah Gailey, author of <i>Just Like Home</i> and <i>Eat the Rich</i> A gripping, surreal mystery about language, identity, and greed. The Centre explores impossible success at an equally impossible price—and the difference between merely paying for something and truly understanding its dark cost -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of <i>The Cartographers</i> The most fascinating debut I've read in years—enigmatic, biting, absurd, and right when you think you've got it figured out, utterly horrifying -- Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of <i>The Shape of Water</i> (with Guillermo del Toro) Incredible . . . it's creepy AF, in the best way possible. Highly recommend! -- Lamya H, author of <i>Hijab Butch Blues</i> Filled with astute insights into life as a brown person in a predominantly white country . . . A fast-paced thriller with its finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary social discourse * Kirkus * Manazir Siddiqi’s ambitious debut packs insightful observations about racism, classism, and colonialism into a dark mystery . . . a writer to watch * Publishers Weekly * [An] inventive debut... The Centre informs the current social discourse by offering wry, shrewd insights into colonialism, appropriation and classism, resonant of Elaine Hsieh Chou’s Disorientation and RF Kuang’s Yellowface -- Rabeea Saleem, <i>The Irish Times<i/>