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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought I knew what twist was coming and I absolutely did not - brilliant and awful and everything I want in a horror - I felt like i slowly got boiled
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this book had an interesting premise, but, ultimately, i feel like it was trying to do too much - which meant that the ending felt half-baked, and unsatisfying. also, i don't think anisa really did any reflection on her own internalised biases, despite these being specifically highlighted and called out when demonstrated by other characters, so she just came off as self-righteous in the end. and so many details were scattered throughout, without receiving any explanation, meaning that they all seemed massively unnecessary. ngl, i was disappointed by the end :/
I couldn't put this book down. The writing wasn't perfect, especially considering this is a thriller about linguistics, it was difficult to forgive such sins as seeing the words "broken heart emoji" written out, but I was able to overlook that because I found the story so engaging.
If you like linguistics, a bit of mystery, and multicultural stories, I highly recommend!
If you like linguistics, a bit of mystery, and multicultural stories, I highly recommend!
Extremely beautiful and competent in its themes, but Siddiqi can't seem to choose between two slightly distinct versions of the narrative. Even though the heroine is self-aware to a meta degree, especially in the last third, with a lot of discussion about storytelling, it doesn't quite come off.
I can see The Centre being added to reading lists for Postcolonial Literature modules over the coming years, because it's very rich with Problems and Themes and Context, but Siddiqi gets distracted by a cultural story about diaspora identity and never lets the reader fully appreciate the full implications of her SF premise, which would have actually served her broader themes about culture and exploitation if she had had the confidence to pursue them. The broad strokes of the plot have certainly been done before, probably a Twilight Zone episode, but Siddiqi doesn't especially care for it much beyond metaphor.
The heroine saying out loud that diaspora narratives are cliché isn't quite enough to distract from this turn in focus. The SF twist never truly gets examined as deeply and wholly as I'd like, and the supposedly chronically curious heroine decides not to ask some obvious choice questions after the reveal, nor really challenge what she is told. She's either exquisite in her flawed and realistic human hypocrisy, or this is a plot hole. Unclear and subjective.
I look forward to Siddiqi's follow-up, however, because she's clearly eminently skilled, and she'll hopefully have outgrown a reliance on hedging her bets in terms of unclear outcomes for characters. I'd like to know what actually happened to characters in a story, and not simply be abandoned by the author dumping out a pile of awkward questions and running away. The final scene had the energy of a student undermining an insightful and well-researched presentation by going, "and yeah, that's it."
I can see The Centre being added to reading lists for Postcolonial Literature modules over the coming years, because it's very rich with Problems and Themes and Context, but Siddiqi gets distracted by a cultural story about diaspora identity and never lets the reader fully appreciate the full implications of her SF premise, which would have actually served her broader themes about culture and exploitation if she had had the confidence to pursue them. The broad strokes of the plot have certainly been done before, probably a Twilight Zone episode, but Siddiqi doesn't especially care for it much beyond metaphor.
The heroine saying out loud that diaspora narratives are cliché isn't quite enough to distract from this turn in focus. The SF twist never truly gets examined as deeply and wholly as I'd like, and the supposedly chronically curious heroine decides not to ask some obvious choice questions after the reveal, nor really challenge what she is told. She's either exquisite in her flawed and realistic human hypocrisy, or this is a plot hole. Unclear and subjective.
I look forward to Siddiqi's follow-up, however, because she's clearly eminently skilled, and she'll hopefully have outgrown a reliance on hedging her bets in terms of unclear outcomes for characters. I'd like to know what actually happened to characters in a story, and not simply be abandoned by the author dumping out a pile of awkward questions and running away. The final scene had the energy of a student undermining an insightful and well-researched presentation by going, "and yeah, that's it."
dark
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No