The Centre

Very unique read

Von den 16 Büchern die ich dieses Jahr gelesen habe eines der 2 besten

Honestly so lost and confused but it was a great read and really enjoyed it. I read it for a postcolonial fiction class and it fit the class perfectly.

I was drawn in by the beautifully illustrated characters. Once there, I found a delicious story spiced with just the right amount of bitter sweet social commentary.

‘She laughed then, a bit embarrassed, “I can’t wait to tell you more.”’ (p137)This book is everything the publisher’s official teaser promises: a solid story about a mysterious and secretive language school where something ominous is happening. The plot and characters are compelling, and there’s a lot of thoughtful commentary on a variety of issues: patriarchy and the empowerment of women; class hierarchies; the cost of success; and the morality of trying to play God. It’s a good read. I especially enjoyed the slow, delicious build to the big reveal.But then the author rushes the portion of the story that follows that big reveal – having set the table, she abruptly wipes it clean. She resolves nothing. I can’t shake the feeling that she quit just when things were getting interesting. Entirely unsatisfying – it felt like a missed opportunity.

4.5 starsThis was such a great read. The Centre tackles many themes adeptly-race, social class, gender, and relationships. I could relate to Anisa and her feelings of inadequacy. She’s looking for purpose in her life and hopes The Centre can provide that for her. She’s also looking to fundamentally change the world as well. The anthropologist in me loved the emphasis on linguistics in this book. I would love to be able to learn a language fluently in 10 days. It would open so many opportunities for me. Of course, The Centre is not all that it seems. For one, it’s invite only and it mostly consists of foreign diplomats and the elite. The average middle class citizen would never have access to this place.There’s a darkness at the heart of The Centre but I don’t want to say more because it’s best to go into this as blind as possible. The mystery of The Centre wasn’t what kept me interested though. I was more interested in what The Centre signified and how it could be used or changed into something different. The characters are multi-faceted and not inherently good or bad. And I absolutely loved how this book ended. This is quite the remarkable read and it really opened my eyes to the variety of different issues that our narrator faces.