An exclusive school holds its sinister secrets behind locked doors
The Centre — Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
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This is the second-to-last October recommendation, focusing on all things creepy and scary! If you’re not into scary books, hang around and check out these recommendations until November: a timeless novel about first loves and first losses, a cautionary tale of a modern princess trapped in her castle, or a lawyer fighting against an unfair justice system.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
Content warnings, which include some spoilers, are in the footnote of this newsletter.1
What It’s About
For context, I just finished this book on Sunday (this past Sunday) and immediately ran here to get it ready to recommend for today. I loved it that much.
Anisa is feeling stuck in her life and her job. She’s a translator, but instead of translating great works of literature, she is subtitling Bollywood films and living on her parents’ money to help pay her rent. Everything changes when she meets Adam.
He’s really not that interesting, not to Anisa, but what is interesting is that he seems to speak nearly every language fluently — something she needs to figure out how to do in order to get better at her job, to have a shot at her dream. So she begins asking him about the place where he learned these languages. He attends an exclusive, invite-only school — the Centre — that teaches new languages, and walks out 10 days later, completely fluent in a new language. So fluent that he speaks Urdu better than Anisa. So fluent that her family is smitten with him. She has to figure out how to get into the Centre.
But once she’s on the inside, it’s completely different than she imagined, and she doesn’t know how they do it, but soon she’s speaking German and Russian fluently and living a whole new life. As she gets closer with one of the employees, she begins to see inside the Centre’s operations, and it seems they have a dark secret about their processes, if only she could figure out what it is.
Why You Should Read It
There’s something about a book that manages to make a slow-burn build-up to an eye-opening ending that truly captivates me. Siddiqi does just that. Her writing style is lush and luxurious while having a sinister undertone that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you don’t know why.
Dark academia is having a moment (and has been for a while, though I will never tire of it!), and this is one of my favorite additions to the genre. It’s got a compelling mystery, messy characters, and a sharp commentary on who gets to be part of higher education. (Also, can we TALK ABOUT THAT COVER?!)
I’m busy preparing for my next move into my new house, so most of my books are packed away safely in boxes! I cannot wait to unpack them and begin to set up my new shelves. But for now, check out some other newsletters I love!
If you’re looking for even more recommendations to round out your October reading, I love this set of picks from
, and this review of Carmilla from made me add it immediately to my list to buy. has a list of cute creepy comics, and will help show you how she decides what book to read next if you have no idea where to start!
Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations:
A crop circle enthusiast is hired to revive a small Vermont town
Read a book about a bank heist, con artists, and falling in love
Read a thriller about a polygamist, his wives, and their secret pasts
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Content warnings include sexual predation and manipulation; blood and gore, descriptions of blood and body parts.
Love to see this book appear in my feed! Without a doubt The Centre is making my list of favorite 2023 reads - so original! And I know the ending was divisive, but I think back to it all the time...
Thanks for the shoutout! Putting a gold on this one.