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alyssabookrecs's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars - I really dug this.
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad is a novel that perfectly encapsulates so much of what I love to read about. The book takes risks with its prose, sliding into script when you feel the main character Sonia sort of detach from her body as though she is watching a play of her onstage and offstage experiences while acting in a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Hammad weaves together the story of the production, Sonia’s personhood and life, her family’s past, her complicated relationship with her sister Haneen, living under occupation, and so much more. Hammad thanks members of the Freedom Theatre in her acknowledgments, so I’d like to include here that the Freedom Theatre in Jenin was raided by the Israeli Occupation Forces in late 2023 and most recently the IOF also destroyed the road in between the theatre and the artistic director’s home, among other horrible things while invading Jenin. Theatre, art, and literature are ALWAYS political; targeting writers, artists, and their institutions is something the IOF continually does in a multitude of ways, explored in part by Hammad in Enter Ghost. Support Freedom Theatre in Palestine now: thefreedomtheatre.org
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad is a novel that perfectly encapsulates so much of what I love to read about. The book takes risks with its prose, sliding into script when you feel the main character Sonia sort of detach from her body as though she is watching a play of her onstage and offstage experiences while acting in a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Hammad weaves together the story of the production, Sonia’s personhood and life, her family’s past, her complicated relationship with her sister Haneen, living under occupation, and so much more. Hammad thanks members of the Freedom Theatre in her acknowledgments, so I’d like to include here that the Freedom Theatre in Jenin was raided by the Israeli Occupation Forces in late 2023 and most recently the IOF also destroyed the road in between the theatre and the artistic director’s home, among other horrible things while invading Jenin. Theatre, art, and literature are ALWAYS political; targeting writers, artists, and their institutions is something the IOF continually does in a multitude of ways, explored in part by Hammad in Enter Ghost. Support Freedom Theatre in Palestine now: thefreedomtheatre.org
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, and Colonisation
tashtasher's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol