Jun 13

Jun 13 Enter Ghost

About the book

Author: Isabella Hammad
Publisher: Grove Atlantic

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

It’s easy to see why Enter Ghost won the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize (which I also think it could have won). I loved this tender and propulsive look at the warfare in Palestine through the lens of relationships between Palestinians.

In this novel, Sonia, a stage actress living in London, returns to Palestine for the first time since summer trips as a child to visit her sister and take a break from work. But despite her initial reluctance, she ends up in an Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. As we get closer to opening night, the threat of violence looms larger.

This was gorgeously and effectively written. It explores not only the power and importance of art in times of war, but also generational trauma and heart and heartbreak of resilience and resistance. I savored it over several days, but I also couldn’t look away while I was reading. I highly recommend you do, too.

Final note: Some sections are presented like a script, so be aware of that if you try to go audio-only — I’m not sure it would work perfectly or easily in that format. I listened as I read, which was great.