Fantastic . . . This Black Mirror take on the world of language opens up questions of cultural appropriation, the power of language, memory and privilege . . . Siddiqi’s easy storytelling and her heroine Anisa’s sweet narrative voice slip down like summer rosé. Siddiqi has the gift of maintaining propulsion and mystery, while keeping things human and realistic . . . compelling . . . wonderful - The Observer

An absolutely stunning and unique novel . . . A book that is not only thrilling but deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare -- Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

Siddiqi . . . has the gift of maintaining propulsion and mystery, while keeping things human and realistic . . . a wonderful novel -- Bidisha Mamata - The Guardian

Creepy, provocative and wildly entertaining . . . I was gripped -- Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters

Ingenious . . . This is a book whose many delights and horrors are unlikely to be lost in translation - New York Times

The Centre is a banger! . . . A book that feels both cheery and terrifying, The Centre draws you in with a gentle hand until it throws the mallet down in the last thirty pages. A terrific meditation on language, diaspora, alienation, and culture, it will stay with you long after you read -- Chelsea G Summers, author of A Certain Hunger

Propulsive and profound. I was gripped by the mystery haunting the core of the book - and equally gripped by Siddiqi’s exploration of the power of language . . . a debut of dazzling wit and insight -- Helen Phillips, author of The Need

A twisting mystery and nuanced exploration of identity and assimilation, The Centre cuts deep . . . A compelling, witty, sometimes gruesome tale of how we use language to connect and to sever, appropriate and explore -- Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark and The Upstairs House

I am obsessed with this book and you will be too! A brilliant meditation on language and translation and the most gripping novel I've read in forever . . . I'm in awe -- Jennifer Croft, author of Homesick

As haunting as it is tempting; this book devoured me back -- Sarah Gailey, author of Just Like Home and Eat the Rich

A gripping, surreal mystery about language, identity, and greed. The Centre explores impossible success at an equally impossible price-and the difference between merely paying for something and truly understanding its dark cost -- Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers

The most fascinating debut I've read in years-enigmatic, biting, absurd, and right when you think you've got it figured out, utterly horrifying -- Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Water (with Guillermo del Toro)

Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi has written plays, essays, book reviews and short stories. Her work has appeared in anthologies by Peepal Tree Press, Oberon Books, Influx Press, EMC and Tilted Axis Press (forthcoming), and in publications including The Independent, CeaseFire Magazine, The Theatre Times, Wasafiri and Media Diversified. Her plays have been staged widely. Ayesha also works as an editor and occasional translator. She was a contributing editor for The Trojan Horse Affair, a podcast by The New York Times. Ayesha is from Karachi and lives in London.