Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad Book Review

This is a novel that you will struggle to put down.

Enter Ghost tells the story of a woman who participates in a production of Hamlet on the West Bank, making for a heart-warming, gut-wrenching, humorous and devastating read. The characters are complex, interesting, and create an incredibly entertaining read - especially the cast and crew of the Hamlet production. Aside from being central to the plot, the themes of Hamlet- such as family, war, and guilt - haunt the central protagonist like a ghost. You don't need to have prior knowledge of Hamlet before reading, but the play enriches the storyline by providing constant points of comparison. At times, placing the play Hamlet within the backdrop of the West Bank creates chilling moments of realisation about both the play and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The novel also offers an incredibly insightful description of life within the West Bank and Palestinian culture, history, and ongoing suffering. By creating such in-depth characterisation, the author highlights the individual, personal and human suffering within the ongoing conflicts. This book is truly beautifully written. Like Shakespeare's Hamlet, the characters are full of spark, soul and nuance. When the production is finally staged at the end of the novel, the result is both beautiful and devastating. I cannot recommend this book enough.  

Reviewed by Cole (Visitor Operations Assistant)