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peppergp's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Lots of really great things about this book, although overall it wasn’t my entirely to my taste. I liked the incorporation of the playscript-style narration to record group conversations and the stage. Hammad’s translations of the Arabic version of Hamlet are delightful to read and parse through as someone familiar with the original English text.
I think you’ll enjoy this book a lot more if you know Hamlet (and particularly the character of Gertrude) well, but it is not essential to enjoy the story or catch the more obvious parallel meanings.Mariam performing the Hecuba soliloquy in front of the soldiers gave me chills, as did Sonia claiming Wael as her son at the checkpoint.
The narration has a distant feel to it, even in emotionally tense moments, and Hammad leaves lots of conversations unspoken throughout the story. Her style is not really for me, but there were moments that got to me nonetheless. I enjoyed the subtle questions about motherhood, grief, and the ways that artists (and academics, and politicians, etc.) sometimes extract from suffering that’s proximal to them in ways that aren’t kind, but are human and possibly even necessary.
I think you’ll enjoy this book a lot more if you know Hamlet (and particularly the character of Gertrude) well, but it is not essential to enjoy the story or catch the more obvious parallel meanings.
The narration has a distant feel to it, even in emotionally tense moments, and Hammad leaves lots of conversations unspoken throughout the story. Her style is not really for me, but there were moments that got to me nonetheless. I enjoyed the subtle questions about motherhood, grief, and the ways that artists (and academics, and politicians, etc.) sometimes extract from suffering that’s proximal to them in ways that aren’t kind, but are human and possibly even necessary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Colonisation
Minor: Miscarriage, Islamophobia, and Abortion
waybeyondblue's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Police brutality
Moderate: Miscarriage and War
arcookson's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Eating disorder, Violence, and Abortion
qqjj's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
CW: violence, police brutality, colonialism, war, genocide, murder, death, grief, racism, xenophobia islamophobia, hate crime, miscarriage/abortion, infidelity
--
Enter Ghost is a story about a British theatre actress with Palestinian heritage who after years spent away returns to Haifa to visit her sister as a way to get away from the end of a bad relationship. Childhood trauma as well as family issues mean Sonia feels a detachment from Haifa and Palestine as a whole but getting pulled into doing an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank allows her to start renewing her relationship with her family’s homeland.
This is a multi-faceted book that not only brilliantly explores art as a form of resistance but also focuses on the casual drama that occurs within a theatre production as well as more personal relationship dynamics, both familial and romantic. This is all tied together with themes of identity, belonging and perseverance, particularly with regards to the lived experiences of Palestinians under occupation. Not only do we get perspectives from the West Bank but also that of Palestinians on the “inside” who have grown up post 1948 and currently live in those areas that were sieged during the Nakba.
There is never a preachy tone to how any of this is addressed but the underlying messages cannot be more clear-cut than when the exact events that are being immortalised via fictional text are being recorded on social media for the world to witness in real time.
Hammad’s prose is brilliant though I actually struggled with getting into the story initially as the writing is very much attuned to the personality and emotions of our protagonist. Sonia isn’t the most vibrant of characters and her mannerisms at times make her a little unlikeable. I was more drawn to her strained relationship with her family members than I was to her romantic life but it was the use and performance of Hamlet within the story which stood out most to me.
Hamlet is one of the Shakespeare plays that I didn’t study in school and never got around to reading but let me tell you when you read this book your understanding of the classic will be altered whether or not you’re familiar with the original.
The narrative does jump to a script format every now and again when the theatre group are assembled, rehearsing and speculating about the play which I feel at times worked and at others disrupted the flow of the overall story which was another minor grievance I had with the book. However, the portrayal of how culture and the arts are a source of hope in the face of repression by apartheid and occupation was beautifully done.
The place on the Women’s Prize shortlist was well-deserved. Go read it!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
CW: violence, police brutality, colonialism, war, genocide, murder, death, grief, racism, xenophobia islamophobia, hate crime, miscarriage/abortion, infidelity
--
Enter Ghost is a story about a British theatre actress with Palestinian heritage who after years spent away returns to Haifa to visit her sister as a way to get away from the end of a bad relationship. Childhood trauma as well as family issues mean Sonia feels a detachment from Haifa and Palestine as a whole but getting pulled into doing an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank allows her to start renewing her relationship with her family’s homeland.
This is a multi-faceted book that not only brilliantly explores art as a form of resistance but also focuses on the casual drama that occurs within a theatre production as well as more personal relationship dynamics, both familial and romantic. This is all tied together with themes of identity, belonging and perseverance, particularly with regards to the lived experiences of Palestinians under occupation. Not only do we get perspectives from the West Bank but also that of Palestinians on the “inside” who have grown up post 1948 and currently live in those areas that were sieged during the Nakba.
There is never a preachy tone to how any of this is addressed but the underlying messages cannot be more clear-cut than when the exact events that are being immortalised via fictional text are being recorded on social media for the world to witness in real time.
Hammad’s prose is brilliant though I actually struggled with getting into the story initially as the writing is very much attuned to the personality and emotions of our protagonist. Sonia isn’t the most vibrant of characters and her mannerisms at times make her a little unlikeable. I was more drawn to her strained relationship with her family members than I was to her romantic life but it was the use and performance of Hamlet within the story which stood out most to me.
Hamlet is one of the Shakespeare plays that I didn’t study in school and never got around to reading but let me tell you when you read this book your understanding of the classic will be altered whether or not you’re familiar with the original.
The narrative does jump to a script format every now and again when the theatre group are assembled, rehearsing and speculating about the play which I feel at times worked and at others disrupted the flow of the overall story which was another minor grievance I had with the book. However, the portrayal of how culture and the arts are a source of hope in the face of repression by apartheid and occupation was beautifully done.
The place on the Women’s Prize shortlist was well-deserved. Go read it!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and War
annieo15's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“Enter Ghost” examines what it means to be an individual haunted by the past and present of an entire nation. While this sometimes leaves the intricacies of characters unexplored, the mastery of interpersonal dynamics and larger narrative are beautifully nuanced. I learned so much from this book, about people and Palestine.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Grief
sponberry's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hammad’s character writing is impeccable. The way theatre script style and prose were intertwined was so interesting, and I found this novel allowed me to see Sonia both from inside her own head and from outside perspectives. Her grappling with her own Palestinian identity through comparing it with her sisters or fathers, felt relatable even though this isn’t an experience I share - truly great writing and deserved its Women’s Prize nomination.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Self harm, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Medical trauma
deedireads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedireads.com/.
It’s easy to see why Enter Ghost won the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize (which I also think it could have won). I loved this tender and propulsive look at the warfare in Palestine through the lens of relationships between Palestinians.
In this novel, Sonia, a stage actress living in London, returns to Palestine for the first time since summer trips as a child to visit her sister and take a break from work. But despite her initial reluctance, she ends up in an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. As we get closer to opening night, the threat of violence looms larger.
This was gorgeously and effectively written. It explores not only the power and importance of art in times of war, but also generational trauma and heart and heartbreak of resilience and resistance. I savored it over several days, but I also couldn’t look away while I was reading. I highly recommend you do, too.
Final note: Some sections are presented like a script, so be aware of that if you try to go audio-only — I’m not sure it would work perfectly or easily in that format. I listened as I read, which was great.
It’s easy to see why Enter Ghost won the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize (which I also think it could have won). I loved this tender and propulsive look at the warfare in Palestine through the lens of relationships between Palestinians.
In this novel, Sonia, a stage actress living in London, returns to Palestine for the first time since summer trips as a child to visit her sister and take a break from work. But despite her initial reluctance, she ends up in an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. As we get closer to opening night, the threat of violence looms larger.
This was gorgeously and effectively written. It explores not only the power and importance of art in times of war, but also generational trauma and heart and heartbreak of resilience and resistance. I savored it over several days, but I also couldn’t look away while I was reading. I highly recommend you do, too.
Final note: Some sections are presented like a script, so be aware of that if you try to go audio-only — I’m not sure it would work perfectly or easily in that format. I listened as I read, which was great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Miscarriage
liesthemoontells's review
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book for a book club. It is not something I would normally have read, and I'm very glad I did.
Not a lot happens in this novel. Instead, it follows a small group of people, creating art and pushing back against the injustices and everyday indignities inflicted upon them by a colonising force.
While doom and oppression are constantly looming in the background of this book, it is somehow a gentle read as the main character Sonia is extremely reflective, spending as much time analysing the small behaviours of the people around her as she does the wider political situation she has entered into.
I love that the book ends where many authors would have begun it, just as the calamity occurs. Instead, refreshingly, Isabella Hammad gives her reader space to bask in the small, day to day intricacies of her characters and their lives, instead of forcing us to witness them in extreme stress.
Not a lot happens in this novel. Instead, it follows a small group of people, creating art and pushing back against the injustices and everyday indignities inflicted upon them by a colonising force.
While doom and oppression are constantly looming in the background of this book, it is somehow a gentle read as the main character Sonia is extremely reflective, spending as much time analysing the small behaviours of the people around her as she does the wider political situation she has entered into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide and Miscarriage
georgiabritton's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Islamophobia, and Murder