2024 WP shortlist - Enter Ghost

[Hugh, Active moderator]

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

[Emmeline]

I imagine people don't want to discuss politics in this one, so perhaps we can just leave them to one side. I found it an interesting book in terms of scope and ambition, especially considering it's only about 300 pages.

One thing I liked was Hammad's use of dialogue in play form to get through some of the talkier chapters. I imagine not everyone enjoyed this, but I found it a creative solution to filling in background and information that the reader likely doesn't have, and just getting through a lot of material a bit faster.

I also found Sonia an effective narrator as she is insider enough to realistically move through all these areas, but outsider enough to ask questions on things the reader wants to know. A lot of reviews on here seem to have found her quite annoying, however, whereas I found her quite a neutral character.

I enjoyed this enough that I'm interested to read the Parisian now, despite running a mile when it came out (long-page-count historical fiction isn't usually my thing).

[Peter]

I loved The Parisian, but this one did not work for me at all.

[Cindy]

I read GY's excellent review of this and generally agree with it, although for me it would be somewhat closer to a 2 star read. I found it incredibly difficult to sympathize with any of the main characters. I actually found some of them quite distasteful. And it felt over-written to me.

[Elizabeth]

I was dreading starting this one because I'm extremely weary of everything that is going on in the world at the moment and the thought of a heavily politicized novel brought me down. But I didn't want to write it off just because it has political elements, so I gave it a few pages to see what it was like. I'm on page 56 and so far I'm liking how the author is setting up the family tensions. The Shakespeare element is also of particular interest to me. I'm hoping I end up liking it as much as when I started.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

I read it before October 7th but just after a trip to Israel.

[Emmeline]

The Shakespeare element was also of particular interest to me, as I did a lot of reading of literary rewrites a few years ago (including Shakespeare rewrites like Hag-Seed and We That Are Young: A novel). This isn't really a rewrite as the plot doesn't follow Hamlet, but I found all the resonances to the play to be very elegantly done.

[Emmeline]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I read it before October 7th but just after a trip to Israel."

I know you say in your review that in both this and The Parisian you felt kept at a distance to the prose in some way. I also felt that distance. It wasn't an issue for me because I've learned writing reviews here that "chilly prose" is actually a compliment from me, but I could see it bothering people that she doesn't really sweep you up in the characters.

[Zelic]

Emily wrote: "Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "I read it before October 7th but just after a trip to Israel."

I know you say in your review that in both this and The Parisian you felt kept at a distance ..."

I felt like the 'chilly prose' really worked because, like Sonia, I am a bit politically ambivalent at the beginning of the story. She wasn't a champion or villain but a less interesting character who gets drawn into interesting situations political and philosophical.

I loved her conversations with Miriam who is the champion. Particularly their discussion about art as a tool of resistance vs art as anesthetizing catharsis.

Here is the quote from Chapter 9: '“risk that art might deaden resistance, by softening suffering’s blows through representing it…when you read a novel about the occupation and feel understood or watch a film and feel seen, your anger, which is like a wound, is dressed for a brief time and you can go on enduring, a bit more easily, and so time goes on… all of this means that in the end you… are less likely to fight the fight because despair has been relived, momentarily.”

I also just loved Hamlet and the feeling of getting a glimpse behind the scenes. I really enjoyed this one although, it doesn't compare to the sheer prose-magic that the three Irish authors put out.

[Elizabeth]

I really loved this, way more than I expected to. I loved its exploration of the theme that Zelic points to - the relationship between politics and art - and its use of Hamlet as a case study.

[LindaJ^]

I read this in audio and found it okay. It did not wow me. I liked the use of Hamlet. I was not, however, much of a fan of Sonia.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

This just won the Aspen Words Literary Prize which I don’t think is a prize we discussed here but had a very strong longlist of political (small p) novels - the nearest uk equivalent I can see is the Orwell Prize.

[Rose]

I finished the audiobook yesterday. I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the window on a segment of Palestinian society I don't know much about. I loved the use of Hamlet, and I appreciated the same art/resistance section/quotes that Zelic quoted above. I also felt a lot of sympathy for Sonia, and her early mid-life crisis. I thought the ending was handled very well, too.

[Susan]

I think this was a very ambitious novel which did not quite work for me. There was a large cast of characters, and with the exception of one or two (eg. Mariam) they were bit flat and at times I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I did not particuarly enjoy the writing.

I think this is a timely novel from a political perspective and I was interested in exploring the lives of 'Palestinians' who live 'inside'. Hammad apeared to be trying to explore several themes throughout the novel - but overall I found it a bit tedious to read.

If this one wins, I feel it would be more of a political statement from the judges than necessarily a vote for good novel writing.

[LindaJ^]

I tend to agree with Susan.

[Emmeline]

Overall I agree about the characterization and to some extent the writing. This one worked better for me though because I loved the Hamlet parallels and the discussions of acting and theatre, as well as the complexity of the different Palestinian experiences portrayed.

[Laura]

I too admired this rather than emotionally connected with it.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

Just won the RSL Encore award for second novels.

[Rose]

Nice! I'm happy to hear that.

[Emmeline]

Nice one!

That's a prize I was only vaguely aware of but I think it's a great prize to have, given how many authors have difficulties with second novel syndrome.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer]

There is a separate thread on the prize.

I would have preferred to see Ordinary Human Feelings win / it’s now been listed for 4-5 prizes without winning any and I think m very suitable for the prize as it’s so different to the author’s debut.

[Emmeline]

For anyone interested: Isabella Hammad in the New York Review of Books discussing more recent developments around Palestine, including student protests and literary community flameouts.

https://archive.is/Enf8L

[Rose]

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "There is a separate thread on the prize.

I would have preferred to see Ordinary Human Feelings win / it’s now been listed for 4-5 prizes without winning any and I think m very suitable for the pr..."

Well, I agree, I preferred Ordinary Human Failings.

[Laura]

Good news about the Encore award!