Anisa Ellahi is a struggling translator with dreams of greatness. Though her heart's desire is to be an esteemed translator of great novels, she in fact spends her days writing subtitles for Bollywood movies. When her white boyfriend mysteriously learns to speak Urdu, her native language, practically overnight, she discovers a mysterious program called »The Centre« that promises fluency in any language in just ten days. Enticed by the possibility of achieving her aspirations, she enrolls in the program, but soon uncovers its hidden, eerie secrets.

Holy smokes, this book is amazing! Thought-provoking, gripping, enigmatic and surreal … The mystery is haunting, yet the author explores intertwining themes that go much deeper than thrills and chills: the politics of language, alienation, appropriation, identity, intergenerational trauma and more.

Anisa realizes with dawning horror that she has signed up for something that's as liberating as it is grotesque and nightmarish. She is a wonderful character, complex and authentic, so I found it impossible to not root for her. In beautiful words, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi captures a wide panorama of conflicting emotions, from liberation to deep unease and outright terror. I appreciated her portrayal of genuine female friendships, a welcome counterpoint to the tense suspense.

This is a genuinely great novel, carving its own path from tired grounds to imaginative new horizons. It's literary, it's chilling, it's mysterious … Ah, how do I love thee, let my count the ways. I devoured this book in no time, and now I'll keep an eye out for future releases by this very promising author.