Reviews

Thank you to Gillian Flynn Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I heard about this book from Modern Mrs. Darcy's Summer Reading Guide, and I was intrigued by the description and the cover. This is a story of Anisa, who wants to be a translator, and a secret school where one can be fluent in a new language in 10 days. Anisa attends this school and eventually learns the shocking secrets of how it works. This book reminded me a lot of Babel and Yellowface by RF Kuang and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I really enjoyed the commentary on India and Pakistan, language, translation, publishing, class, and appropriation. The twist is jaw-dropping, though now looking back I can see some clues. This was a captivating story that I won't forget anytime soon.

bookishconnections's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages and the premise sounded right up my street.

As I got more into it, the storyline just seemed to fragment.

The author was talking about lots of different issues via the character and then when the real issue of how the centre work came through, I was surprised and kind of horrified but by the end it ended so abruptly, any progress or conclusion made was gone.

I would recommend this book for fans of Mexican Gothic, Earthling or Burnt Sugar because it is very claustrophobic and focuses on body horror as well as a very uncomfortable sexual situation that may trigger some people.

Some of the tangents in the book were just not developed as much as they could be but the narrator made this book incredibly engaging which is why I rated it higher than I would have otherwise.

Content Warnings

moth_gf184's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

charl's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was fun!! Engaging read and some nice discourse, didn’t completely sweep me off my feet but I wanted to read it instead of watch telly and that’s something surely

More...