About this ebook
Be your best self, even if it kills you
Sisters Annie and Clover have always been close. So when Annie turns up, heartbroken and jobless on Clover's doorstep, she happily takes her in.
Sunny, optimistic Clover is living her best life on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. She's attending workshops at the Centre for Personal Excellence, lead by the beautiful and elusive Lumelia, a wellness influencer and personal transformation guru. The Centre seems to have everyone under its spell, except for Annie, who can’t afford to invest in its programs. As Annie’s trying to get back on her feet, Clover is sinking further and further into her new-found self-development community.
Annie’s attempts to pull her sister away from the allure of the Centre and its devoted followers only push Clover deeper, and Annie realises that the Centre may be hiding some very dark secrets.
Is the Centre what finally breaks the sisters apart, or can Annie save Clover before it’s too late? It’s fast becoming a matter of life or death.
‘An addictive, thoughtful novel about how the human quest for belonging and self-improvement can make us vulnerable to modern wellness shamans and the agony of trying to protect a loved one who has fallen into the vortex. Another beautifully observed and wildly entertaining novel from Hannah Tunnicliffe.’ – Rachel Paris, author of See How They Fall
‘The Centre starts off as a fun and intriguing read, becoming more addictive and unsettling as the story unfolds. Despite feeling uneasy and nervous, I couldn’t look away. I was enthralled by The Centre, as obsessed with it as the fated characters in this gripping novel. The Centre had me hooked.’ – Zoë Rankin, author of The Vanishing Place
‘The Centre is warm, sardonic and sharp – a brilliant exploration of what happens when the search for healing and belonging collides with predatory wellness culture, family trauma and narcissistic leaders. Hannah Tunnicliffe deftly weaves together the shadow of fundamentalism and the seductive pull of self-help, without resorting to stereotypes about cults and the people who leave them.’ – Anke Richter, author of Cult Trip: Inside the world of coercion & control
PRAISE FOR THE POOL:
‘delivers twists you won’t see coming’ – The Age
‘Hannah Tunnicliffe creates a tangled web of love, betrayal and tragedy ... It gripped me from start to finish.’ – Anna Snoekstra, author of The Ones We Love
‘a bold and deeply intriguing story of morally ambiguous lives ... it depicts a world full of domestic and corporate duplicity that could very well be the one you’re living in right now’ – Lyn Yeowart, author of The Silent Listener
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About the author
Hannah Tunnicliffe is the author of several books for adults and kids including The Pool, The Colour of Tea, Season of Salt and Honey, A French Wedding and the trilingual picture book Marjory and the Mouse. She is the co-creator of the Detective Stanley series published by Flying Eye Books. Her work has featured in the New York Times Book Review and she is the founder and host of the body acceptance podcast Bod Almighty. She is an eating disorder survivor, career and volunteer youth counsellor and holds a degree in social sciences and psychology.
