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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
He's saying it's a choice between life and death. But really, what Mariam is pointing out, there's a third way: you can be a ghost. [...] We haunt them. They want to kill us, but we will not die.
Sonia's on holiday, running from exes and heartbreaks in London as much as from a career that's slowing down. After a few nervous days schlepping to the beach and trying to figure out if Haifa residents can tell that she's Arab, she trips slow motion into a new play, an adaptation of Hamlet to be staged in the West Bank. As she reads for characters, agrees to a part, and learns blocking, she also navigates checkpoints, other people's memories of the intifadas, her youthful recollections of hunger striker, and questions about her family's role in resistance.
I didn't want to stop reading. Sonia's off-kilter self-reflection and delicate narrative arc captured me. I was hungry for every glimpse of Haneen, every teasing waffle of Wael's, as he teetered on the edge of sexy and self-assured, every jump back in time that deepened the present tension.
If I read this again (seems like it could be great), it will be a physical copy, and I should annotate thoroughly: every reference to mothering (and miscarriage / abortion), all the little switches in languages and accent, ghosts and haunting, Shakespearean analysis, botched memories, light vs dark ...
Set mostly in the West Bank, this complex novel involves a personal struggle, a family struggle, and a professional struggle, all against a political struggle. And there are many ghosts. All skillfully woven together. The characters are vivid and differentiated and likeable. Some are Israeli-Arabs and some Palestinians from the West Bank, between which there are sometimes tensions, and Sonia from the diaspora. Sonia, an actor from London, visits her sister who teaches at a Hebrew University for a break from her career and her love life. There are secrets--or at least events/thoughts that have not been revealed--between the sisters, between sisters and father, between an uncle (father's brother) and the sisters. These against the challenges of casting, practicing, and producing Hamlet. All these tensions keep the plot moving and the interest flowing.
In an interesting move, there are moments--usually at rehearsals--told in the form of a play. For me this both reminded me they were performing and allowed for condensation of detail. When there are play lines the character indicated isn't the Shakespearean character's name but the actors, which keeps focus on the characters in the novel. Of course it helps to know the play, but there is enough explanation of the plot that one doesn't have to. The group is performing the play in Arabic, and Hammond uses an Arabic translation that she translates into English, so the words are not always identical to speeches one may have memorized. They are always recognizable.
I have already requested her first novel and I look forward to Hammond writing more.
In an interesting move, there are moments--usually at rehearsals--told in the form of a play. For me this both reminded me they were performing and allowed for condensation of detail. When there are play lines the character indicated isn't the Shakespearean character's name but the actors, which keeps focus on the characters in the novel. Of course it helps to know the play, but there is enough explanation of the plot that one doesn't have to. The group is performing the play in Arabic, and Hammond uses an Arabic translation that she translates into English, so the words are not always identical to speeches one may have memorized. They are always recognizable.
I have already requested her first novel and I look forward to Hammond writing more.
Isabella Hammad's multifaceted story places the reader in the middle of Palestine's struggle and investigates identity, violence, love, oppression and any number of human challenges through the lens of a contemporary staging of Hamlet. A much needed and illuminating view.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Really good, a delight to read. Interesting ideas about who is a "ghost" and ties well with Zombie theory.
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Wow, good reads won't let me make a tag that says Palestine. This is well worth the read. Takes place in the not so distant past and follows an acting troupe producing Hamlet in the West Bank amidst the active suppression and displacement of their people.
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No