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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
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
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
abisnail564's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Islamophobia and Murder
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, and Murder
mlewis's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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: Death, Genocide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
allymute's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.25
Hammad takes her time in unraveling the intricacies of her characters. Enter Ghost reminds us of the power of education and the arts in Palestinian's, and other oppressed people's, resistance to the brutality of empire.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Islamophobia and Murder
mmefish's review
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Amazing. I'm so glad I've stumbled upon this book—it is, to me, an embodiment of a perfect novel.
I never know what to say in a 5 star review; I just loved everything about it.
I never know what to say in a 5 star review; I just loved everything about it.
The sex was like his rehearsal room: he drew me out, I waited for his approval, his adjustment, his suggestion; he the leader, I the star. I told him one evening that I wanted him to destroy me. I was shocked by the sound of that word in my mouth. He responded by becoming slightly violent, although the violence was more suggested than actual, more fleeting reminders of his physical strength. The oblivion I was asking for but did not understand persisted on the horizon of our affair like a summer thundercloud, and in the nights I ran through its long shadow as though I might reach it, while it remained there, taunting me from a distance, unbroken rain.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Islamophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Sexual content