currently shaking the bars of my enclosure because this is one of my favorite authors and i can’t figure out a way to get a print copy of this book?!?currently shaking the bars of my enclosure because this is one of my favorite authors and i can’t figure out a way to get a print copy of this book?!?!?!?!...more
I generally don't ask the question, "How was this published?" often, but I will ask it today. The premise is so compelling that I placed an order as sI generally don't ask the question, "How was this published?" often, but I will ask it today. The premise is so compelling that I placed an order as soon as I discovered the book. Now I'm $24 poorer and have wasted three and a half hours of my life reading something that I could have written in seventh grade.
This book is not a thriller. Despite being titled 'The Centre,' we spend little time in that setting, and the author chooses to breeze past anything that could involve tension or intrigue to instead focus on our lifeless protagonist's first-world problems and insufferable internal monologue. The author chooses to write pages and multiple paragraphs on the carving of a roast chicken, or a house's furnishings. Yet, our two visits to the Centre are barely 20% of the book, with even that time spent less on learning about the Centre, and more on the protagonist's self-pitying. And even the little storytelling that did involve the Centre was so poorly executed. The organization's main rule of absolute secrecy, which could be penalized by a million-pound fine and jail time, was broken as soon as the protagonist found out about it. But she suffers no consequences for this... so, what was the fucking point? The Centre serves as a hook to draw the audience in, but make no mistake: the Centre is merely window dressing for a 270-page long rant on whatever the author wanted to rant about.
I appreciate when storytelling incorporates social themes within the narrative, and the writer does touch on a myriad of issues: feminism, colonialism, class, Islamophobia, and immigration. But instead of intelligently weaving these important issues into the narrative, we are made to sit through countless PSAs inserted randomly throughout the book, often in places where it felt jarring, nonsensical. And none of the issues the author tries to force feed down our throats feel sincere; her discussions of them often felt like a regurgitation of buzz words found on Tumblr, rather than any meaningful engagement with the topics. This is coming from someone who is the exact demographic of our protagonist, mind you. Pakistani, Muslim, immigrant, woman. The struggles I face every day being represented on the page in the most superficial, token-y way was insulting.
I touched on this before, but the pacing is absolutely horrendous. Even setting aside the fact that the Centre barely features in the book, the book focuses on the most pointless, useless aspects of our protagonist's life. The entire first quarter of the book is spent setting up a relationship with a man who is not important to the story. It could have been cut into a prologue, that's how pointless it was. While countless pages are spent describing clothing (I had to read about the protagonist putting on a navy blue halter top and black skinny jeans like it's a Wattpad story) and asinine conversations between the characters, our protagonist writes a translation, gets published, and becomes famous in one (1) paragraph. Why? Her entire motivation is to translate great works of literature, and five seconds are spent on that plot point.
Speaking of our protagonist, she is absolutely awful. I love unlikable characters; I think if they're pulled off well, they are some of the most complex, most memorable characters in fiction. And yes, Anisa is meant to be unlikable. But for an unlikable character to work, there must be something else that still makes the audience root for them, or at least care what happens to them. This can be done through compelling side characters and showing our protagonist's effect on them. Or through a particularly well-crafted narrative arc for the character that keeps the reader interested, despite not liking said character. There is none of that here. Instead, we are made to sit through 270 pages following Anisa, a privileged, shallow, hypocritical, shockingly judgmental, awful human being who spends the whole book pitying herself for no reason. Even when other characters call her on her bullshit, she sweeps it under the rug and it's never brought up again.
And finally, the prose. The only compliment I have for the book is that it was easy to read. But the only reason it was easy to read was because the prose is juvenile to the point that it made me laugh out loud at several points. Anisa is supposedly a character who reads and strives to translate great works of literature, so it is especially amusing that the first-person prose feels like it was lifted from the journal of a fourteen year old. So again, I ask, "How was this published?"
I usually don't write reviews as mean as this, but when you publish trash, expect it to be treated as such....more
**spoiler alert** Prose was mediocre and mildly juvenile, characters were flat, and the off-hand racial remarks were unnecessary and gross (like the o**spoiler alert** Prose was mediocre and mildly juvenile, characters were flat, and the off-hand racial remarks were unnecessary and gross (like the only Asian character, mentioned in passing, being referred to as a freak because she had pink hair and liked anime; or a side character going on a rant about Mexicans being criminals which is never challenged, and the protagonist then seeks out this character for her guidance and help).
Finally, and this is a spoiler, (view spoiler)[ the twist felt cruel as well, like some dig at trans kids. Essentially, the couple kidnap a girl and then pass her off as a boy, and the commentary on gender identity ensues. Just quite off-putting, like there was a conservative agenda snuck into the book to make some sort of poorly-concealed, transphobic point. (hide spoiler)]
All in all: readable with an interesting idea, but poorly executed....more
loved the sibling relationship at the heart of this, messy and complicated as it was. seeing mark and louise develop over the course of the book was gloved the sibling relationship at the heart of this, messy and complicated as it was. seeing mark and louise develop over the course of the book was great. everything else was alright. ...more
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