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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not even sure what to say about this book. It is exactly what you think it'd be, and yet it is so much more.
The plot is relatively straightforward, but also takes a few twists that feel natural and yet leave you spinning. I truly don't know how to talk about this book other than saying that it worked perfectly for me. Something that I don't think will be the case for all readers.
Anisa is one of my favorite characters I have read in a while. Her voice is quite unique but also entirely mundane at the same time. The writing style of her dictating her story to the reader works incredibly well with her voice, and despite the long chapters kept me hooked from the very first page.
I never thought that two words could change my perspective of a story so throughly, and yet here we are.
The plot is relatively straightforward, but also takes a few twists that feel natural and yet leave you spinning. I truly don't know how to talk about this book other than saying that it worked perfectly for me. Something that I don't think will be the case for all readers.
Anisa is one of my favorite characters I have read in a while. Her voice is quite unique but also entirely mundane at the same time. The writing style of her dictating her story to the reader works incredibly well with her voice, and despite the long chapters kept me hooked from the very first page.
I never thought that two words could change my perspective of a story so throughly, and yet here we are.
The sci-fi was cool. Scratched my severance finale itch. And I liked all her other 30yoF baggage tbh.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Classism
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Excellent.
Ayesha learns of a place where she can learn any language in two weeks. She just has to follow the regime rigidly, swear to absolute secrecy, and pay twenty grand.
And it works, and while she's there she kind of befriends the woman that runs it, and before long she's given the opportunity that no one else is: to learn more.
It's secretive and thrilling and I suppose it counts as sci fi, but it also felt so real, so human, so personal, that it kind of transcends that. Really wonderful book.
Ayesha learns of a place where she can learn any language in two weeks. She just has to follow the regime rigidly, swear to absolute secrecy, and pay twenty grand.
And it works, and while she's there she kind of befriends the woman that runs it, and before long she's given the opportunity that no one else is: to learn more.
It's secretive and thrilling and I suppose it counts as sci fi, but it also felt so real, so human, so personal, that it kind of transcends that. Really wonderful book.
Anisa is a 30-something single Pakistani woman living in England and working as a translator for Bollywood films. When she is introduced to a prestigious and secretive language school called The Centre, where a person can become fluent in a language in just 10 days, she believes this is her chance to really develop her career and find personal fulfillment. However, something about The Centre leaves Anisa feeling unsettled, and she sets out to discover its machinations.
This novel took what could have easily been a run-of-the-mill thriller/mystery type novel and injected commentaries on the experiences of cultural and racial minorities, and the interpersonal relationships of a single woman in her 30s. I really enjoyed that the narrator was frequently challenged by others in the novel, and she responded in a way that could he viewed as narcissistic, but imo was very realistic. BIG SPOILER:The ultimate reveal of cannibalism felt metaphorical to me of generational trauma, but also of the generational and cultural endowment of knowledge and experiences, and how the taking on of those experiences is often an unpleasant process.
This novel took what could have easily been a run-of-the-mill thriller/mystery type novel and injected commentaries on the experiences of cultural and racial minorities, and the interpersonal relationships of a single woman in her 30s. I really enjoyed that the narrator was frequently challenged by others in the novel, and she responded in a way that could he viewed as narcissistic, but imo was very realistic. BIG SPOILER:
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes