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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexism, Classism
The story in this novel had some promise, but unfortunately the author didn't know what to do with it.
Our protagonist - a Pakistani woman who faces daily discrimination for her ethnicity in London - learns about a miraculous place where you can learn to be fluent in any language in ten days. She attends and becomes fluent in German after ten intensive days of listening to recordings from a man named Peter, who recounts his life in every dull insignificant detail, in German.
But then she starts to wonder how the process works, and finds an "in" with a woman who works there. They become friends and it turns out - quelle chance! - that this woman is the daughter of the founder of the Centre, and is willing to spill all the secrets about how it works.
I think for me this fell flat after our hero's visit to the kitchens. She can't remember what she saw there, if anything. Did she even go in? And then her friend tells her that they're eating the people who recorded the stories, and that's how they become fluent. But the "big reveal" (after we know they're eating people) is that in the kitchens, the main character saw a leg in the fridge. Which, I mean, obviously. If they're eating people, there will be people in the fridge. How is that a big reveal? It was set up like this would be shocking to us. And the main character vomits after she remembers what she saw, in shock. But - SHR ALREADY KNOWS THEY ARE EATING PEOPLE. Why is this shocking?
Also, her close friend is this really cool, intuitive person throughout the story, but then she meets a guy and starts hiding her light. And she starts to realize it, yet she still marries the guy, and that's how the book ends.
I didn't get it. This wasn't for me. I won't read anything else by this author.
Our protagonist - a Pakistani woman who faces daily discrimination for her ethnicity in London - learns about a miraculous place where you can learn to be fluent in any language in ten days. She attends and becomes fluent in German after ten intensive days of listening to recordings from a man named Peter, who recounts his life in every dull insignificant detail, in German.
But then she starts to wonder how the process works, and finds an "in" with a woman who works there. They become friends and it turns out - quelle chance! - that this woman is the daughter of the founder of the Centre, and is willing to spill all the secrets about how it works.
I think for me this fell flat after our hero's visit to the kitchens. She can't remember what she saw there, if anything. Did she even go in? And then her friend tells her that they're eating the people who recorded the stories, and that's how they become fluent. But the "big reveal" (after we know they're eating people) is that in the kitchens, the main character saw a leg in the fridge. Which, I mean, obviously. If they're eating people, there will be people in the fridge. How is that a big reveal? It was set up like this would be shocking to us. And the main character vomits after she remembers what she saw, in shock. But - SHR ALREADY KNOWS THEY ARE EATING PEOPLE. Why is this shocking?
Also, her close friend is this really cool, intuitive person throughout the story, but then she meets a guy and starts hiding her light. And she starts to realize it, yet she still marries the guy, and that's how the book ends.
I didn't get it. This wasn't for me. I won't read anything else by this author.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was creepy and interesting and a real page turner!
This started decently enough but about three-fourths of the way in things start to go downhill. The last fourth was very boring and didn't even give off the same vibe as the rest of the book. It's like Siddiqi didn't really have an endgame in mind and so it doesn't conclude well.
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:
Complicated
The premise was so good but then I felt like the plot was lost and then the ending just...ended.
