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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
dragongirl271's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
“'Sometimes a play is like an operation from the old days....You plan it, there's a script, but you never totally know how it's going to go. It's there. It's gone. It's like a firework.’”
I need more of Hammad's writing in my life. I need a physical copy of this book to read again, annotate, and analyze like a literary assignment from an English class. I want to reread this and also reread Hamlet along with it so I can analyze the play with the cast. I want to throw this book at others and listen to their takeaways to see what they caught that I missed. This is going to be one of those books that my future grandchildren are going to find among my things beat up and full of sticky notes and underlined passages.
In this book, we follow Sonia Nasir's summer journey from her home in London to visit her sister in Haifa. While there, she meets Mariam who convinces her to play Gertrude in an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Like any theater production, the following weeks are full of bonding, philosophizing, drama amongst cast, and finding pieces of yourself in the characters. Sonia's return to Palestine after years away also leads to personal discovery and reconnection to her family and identity.
I loved Hammad's use of mixing 1st person POV for Sonia and using a 3rd person script layout for the rehearsal scenes. I also enjoyed how smoothly Hammad writes complex discussions between multiple characters. From the start of rehearsals, the cast discuss what message they want to convey with their production and what it even means to perform Hamlet in the West Bank. The reader feels as if they are part of the discussion and it truly feels nuanced and organic. That's not an easy feat.
The ending! Entire panel discussions could be held just on the last few chapters.
“The Play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.”
I need more of Hammad's writing in my life. I need a physical copy of this book to read again, annotate, and analyze like a literary assignment from an English class. I want to reread this and also reread Hamlet along with it so I can analyze the play with the cast. I want to throw this book at others and listen to their takeaways to see what they caught that I missed. This is going to be one of those books that my future grandchildren are going to find among my things beat up and full of sticky notes and underlined passages.
In this book, we follow Sonia Nasir's summer journey from her home in London to visit her sister in Haifa. While there, she meets Mariam who convinces her to play Gertrude in an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Like any theater production, the following weeks are full of bonding, philosophizing, drama amongst cast, and finding pieces of yourself in the characters. Sonia's return to Palestine after years away also leads to personal discovery and reconnection to her family and identity.
I loved Hammad's use of mixing 1st person POV for Sonia and using a 3rd person script layout for the rehearsal scenes. I also enjoyed how smoothly Hammad writes complex discussions between multiple characters. From the start of rehearsals, the cast discuss what message they want to convey with their production and what it even means to perform Hamlet in the West Bank. The reader feels as if they are part of the discussion and it truly feels nuanced and organic. That's not an easy feat.
The ending! Entire panel discussions could be held just on the last few chapters.
“The Play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Violence, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Minor: Death, Infidelity, and Torture
salemander's review
5.0
absolutely phenomenal. heartbreaking and poetic and truly incredible storytelling. reminded me a lot of station eleven but much more impactful and real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Miscarriage, Grief, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
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
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
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.0
'Enter Ghost' by Isabella Hammad is a contemplative novel about a woman returning home to Palestine and acting in a production of Hamlet.
While visiting her sister in Haifa, Sonia is introduced to Mariam, who is staging a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. In need of more actors, she casts Sonia as Gertrude. As rehearsals ramp up, so too do the obstacles that the production has to being put on. As Sonia reconnects with her past and works to heal from her time in England, the production of Hamlet becomes an act of resistance.
Hammad has created a deeply human story rooted in the importance of art as resistance. Sonia is a flawed, complex character, which makes her all the easier to sympathize with. Her past slowly unfolds as she reconnects with her sister and the land. This story also showcases the stark realities of occupation in Palestine, including the violence and persecution that Palestinian people are subjected to. Parts of the story were told through scripts, which was a great use of form though it didn't translate as well to audio as I think it does in print. My favorite aspect of this story is the actual production of Hamlet and how the company uses the play to speak to their current situation.
While visiting her sister in Haifa, Sonia is introduced to Mariam, who is staging a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. In need of more actors, she casts Sonia as Gertrude. As rehearsals ramp up, so too do the obstacles that the production has to being put on. As Sonia reconnects with her past and works to heal from her time in England, the production of Hamlet becomes an act of resistance.
Hammad has created a deeply human story rooted in the importance of art as resistance. Sonia is a flawed, complex character, which makes her all the easier to sympathize with. Her past slowly unfolds as she reconnects with her sister and the land. This story also showcases the stark realities of occupation in Palestine, including the violence and persecution that Palestinian people are subjected to. Parts of the story were told through scripts, which was a great use of form though it didn't translate as well to audio as I think it does in print. My favorite aspect of this story is the actual production of Hamlet and how the company uses the play to speak to their current situation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Islamophobia
Minor: Death and Violence
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
shay43geek's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Blood
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
evaverm's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Relevanter dan ooit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Police brutality, and Colonisation