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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
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
jono_lawrence's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Colonisation, and War
sangsmiles's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Colonisation
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
cassielaj's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book offered a perspective I’ve never encountered and a great insight into a small sliver of lived experience in Palestine. I appreciated the theme of art/theatre as revolutionary and the bleeding of the play’s themes into the characters real lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Colonisation, and War
isobel_laura's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Islamophobia, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage
booksillremember's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Really interesting to learn about the everyday life of Palestinians and the layers of privilege and oppression that affect different Palestinians differently depending on what class they belong to, what languages they know, where they live, and what ID they hold.
The book also makes you think about the complex connection between art, audience and resistance.
However, I almost DNFed this because I couldn't connect with the narrator - she's too much of a teenager for a 38-year-old woman which feeds into the cliché of the self-absorbed and vain actress. The relationships between Sonia and her sister (and wider family) and Sonia and director Mariam were really promising but ultimately underwhelming. I think this novel would have benefited from multiple POVs.
The book also makes you think about the complex connection between art, audience and resistance.
However, I almost DNFed this because I couldn't connect with the narrator - she's too much of a teenager for a 38-year-old woman which feeds into the cliché of the self-absorbed and vain actress. The relationships between Sonia and her sister (and wider family) and Sonia and director Mariam were really promising but ultimately underwhelming. I think this novel would have benefited from multiple POVs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and War
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion