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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-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
challenging
reflective
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
it's been a month now since i finished Enter Ghost, but i'm only just finding the time to share my thoughts - at least they've had some time to marinate!
Enter Ghost follows half-Palestinian, half-Dutch, Sonia, on her return to Palestine to visit her sister, Haneen. as an actress, Sonia is roped into performing Hamlet in the West bank. her assimilation into the production is slow, but she becomes quite engrossed, performing her lines in Arabic. this mirrors, in a way, the process of becoming enticed by the resistance movement (albeit for Sonia, somewhat passively), with the play itself, Hamlet, about a usurper in an established home; its production a form of resistance, emphasising the value of art during unrest.
the plot and themes are astutely relevant and well considered in theory, however, i did not find myself engrossed by the pacing, which felt tedious rather than tense (and so the intrigue felt unsustained) nor the plot, which began to feel low stakes; clearly the opposite was intended.
moreover, while the cast of characters felt quite distinct, and side characters appealed to the reader's humanity - the guard with the Birmingham accent out of place in israel, reminds the reader that the so-called everyman, finds it a far too easy to put himself into the uniform of the oppressor - the emphasis on Sonia's romances felt over-emphasised and inconsequential to the plot. perhaps the intended effect was to tie Sonia's relationship to her ex-husband with the UK, versus her meeting a man in the West bank, and this reflecting both her relationship to Palestine and with her own mixed heritage identity - but truthfully, this feels tenuous and perhaps disingenuous.
Sonia is too passive, and this may have been intentional, but it certainly did not help to propel the narrative, and it made me purely exasperated with her. neither did this convince me that she was this compelling actress, either. her relationships with her sister, father, and family history were more compelling and gave depth to her character, but i did feel they were overshadowed by the dull, tiresome, romance sub-plot, which read like filler.
in sum, there was a great deal to this story that charmed me, and there is not one area where Hammad makes a true pitfall. i just feel that there are patches throughout that do not feel fully formed, and could have done with being reworked. the prose was also just fine - nothing overly verbose, which is not to say that that would have been necessary - but it certainly did not help Sonia's flat narration.
Enter Ghost follows half-Palestinian, half-Dutch, Sonia, on her return to Palestine to visit her sister, Haneen. as an actress, Sonia is roped into performing Hamlet in the West bank. her assimilation into the production is slow, but she becomes quite engrossed, performing her lines in Arabic. this mirrors, in a way, the process of becoming enticed by the resistance movement (albeit for Sonia, somewhat passively), with the play itself, Hamlet, about a usurper in an established home; its production a form of resistance, emphasising the value of art during unrest.
the plot and themes are astutely relevant and well considered in theory, however, i did not find myself engrossed by the pacing, which felt tedious rather than tense (and so the intrigue felt unsustained) nor the plot, which began to feel low stakes; clearly the opposite was intended.
moreover, while the cast of characters felt quite distinct, and side characters appealed to the reader's humanity - the guard with the Birmingham accent out of place in israel, reminds the reader that the so-called everyman, finds it a far too easy to put himself into the uniform of the oppressor - the emphasis on Sonia's romances felt over-emphasised and inconsequential to the plot. perhaps the intended effect was to tie Sonia's relationship to her ex-husband with the UK, versus her meeting a man in the West bank, and this reflecting both her relationship to Palestine and with her own mixed heritage identity - but truthfully, this feels tenuous and perhaps disingenuous.
Sonia is too passive, and this may have been intentional, but it certainly did not help to propel the narrative, and it made me purely exasperated with her. neither did this convince me that she was this compelling actress, either. her relationships with her sister, father, and family history were more compelling and gave depth to her character, but i did feel they were overshadowed by the dull, tiresome, romance sub-plot, which read like filler.
in sum, there was a great deal to this story that charmed me, and there is not one area where Hammad makes a true pitfall. i just feel that there are patches throughout that do not feel fully formed, and could have done with being reworked. the prose was also just fine - nothing overly verbose, which is not to say that that would have been necessary - but it certainly did not help Sonia's flat narration.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
After years away from her family's homeland, actress Sonia Nasir returns to Haifa and meets a charismatic direction, producing a Hamlet play in the West Bank. As opening night draws closer, it becomes clear just how many violent obstacles stand before a troupe of Palestinian actors with growing political tensions.
I can't believe it took me so long to write a review after I finished this book last November
I can't believe it took me so long to write a review after I finished this book last November
A beautiful demonstration of artistry under occupation. The usage of Hamlet to express the Israeli occupation in Palestine was absolutely brilliant.
The main thing I appreciate the most about this book was that our main character was flawed, and didn’t pretend she wasn’t.
This book was heart shattering considering how the circumstances in Palestine have always been oppressive, and yet have grown impossibly more cruel in present times.
I absolutely recommend this historical fiction of life in Palestine for Palestinians written by a Palestinian woman.
The main thing I appreciate the most about this book was that our main character was flawed, and didn’t pretend she wasn’t.
This book was heart shattering considering how the circumstances in Palestine have always been oppressive, and yet have grown impossibly more cruel in present times.
I absolutely recommend this historical fiction of life in Palestine for Palestinians written by a Palestinian woman.
“I was professionally skilled at holding two things in my mind at once and choosing which to look at as felt convenient. And not only which to look at, but which to actually believe.”
“We haunt them. They want to kill us but we will not die. Even now we’ve lost nearly everything.’ His laugh deepened. ‘Zombie apocalypse’.”
“You know, when we hunger strike it’s because we have nothing to bargain with. Our bodies are our only battlegrou
From: Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
This was my second read set in Palestine last month and again it was so impressive. In it, an actor returns to Palestine to stay with her sister and she gets pulled into performing Gertrude in an Arabic production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. During the rehearsals, at times presented as play text, memories of her summer holidays in their family’s homeland as a child and the family dynamics are intertwined with the daily struggles of living under oppression.
The challenges they face as a theatre production with checkpoints and interrogations and other forms of oppression are relentless and almost unfathomable for me in my privileged life.
It breaks my heart watching the news every day and I cannot understand anyone who is against a ceasefire and am so disappointed in our government for not doing more.
This book is a slow burn that gradually, but naturally leads to its seemingly inevitable ending. Thematically it weaves a beautiful story around all kinds of ghosts. Ghosts of memories, of people, of past lives and relationships. It was all beautifully done and I loved it.
“We haunt them. They want to kill us but we will not die. Even now we’ve lost nearly everything.’ His laugh deepened. ‘Zombie apocalypse’.”
“You know, when we hunger strike it’s because we have nothing to bargain with. Our bodies are our only battlegrou
From: Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
This was my second read set in Palestine last month and again it was so impressive. In it, an actor returns to Palestine to stay with her sister and she gets pulled into performing Gertrude in an Arabic production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. During the rehearsals, at times presented as play text, memories of her summer holidays in their family’s homeland as a child and the family dynamics are intertwined with the daily struggles of living under oppression.
The challenges they face as a theatre production with checkpoints and interrogations and other forms of oppression are relentless and almost unfathomable for me in my privileged life.
It breaks my heart watching the news every day and I cannot understand anyone who is against a ceasefire and am so disappointed in our government for not doing more.
This book is a slow burn that gradually, but naturally leads to its seemingly inevitable ending. Thematically it weaves a beautiful story around all kinds of ghosts. Ghosts of memories, of people, of past lives and relationships. It was all beautifully done and I loved it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes