The Center, an elite, invitation-only program, guarantees absolute fluency in any language in just ten days.

Anisa is a Pakistani translator living in London, experiencing a midlife crisis. Skeptical but intrigued, she manages to enroll.

Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she submits to the Center's strange and rigorous processes, which incredibly deliver on their promises.

As she delves deeper into the organization, seduced by everything it makes possible, she becomes aware of the disturbing hidden cost of its services.

And you, are you willing to pay the price?

The Center is a slow-burning, dark, unsettling, and nuanced thriller, with doses of black humor and surrealism at times. Suspense and dystopia intertwine with a fierce critique of power, inequality, and the obsession with success. A story that confronts the reader with uncomfortable questions: what would you be willing to sacrifice to achieve perfection?

It will take you on a journey through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, questioning along the way the importance of language, translation, the privilege of some classes over others, the limits of friendship, the impact of British colonialism, and cultural appropriation. The unsettling marriage of Duolingo and Black Mirror.