Review: Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

Enter Ghost–Isabella Hammad’s second novel–centers around a production of Hamlet  in the Occupied West Bank. The main character, a British-Palestinian actress named Sonia Nasir, has just ended a troubled relationship with a director in London and decided to visit her sister in Haifa (in today’s Israel) for the summer.  While there, she reluctantly gets involved with the production of Hamlet, which is being directed by her sister’s friend Mariam. Meanwhile, Mariam’s brother Salim, who is a politician in Israel, has gotten caught in a controversy revolving around “colluding with the enemy” (i.e. Palestinians).  During the course of the summer, the situation in Palestine becomes increasingly tense, with the Israelis blocking Muslims from praying at the Al Aqsa Mosque.

Hammad’s novel has two major aspects.  On one level, it is the story of a theatrical production, focusing on rehearsals and performances. There are tensions among various cast members, something that is relatable to anyone who has ever participated in theater. However, in this particular case, these tensions are heightened because some cast members have Israeli citizenship (and are thus able to travel more freely and have other privileges) while others are residents of the Occupied West Bank and live lives much more circumscribed by the Israeli military presence.  Hammad  is able to bring out the different experiences of Palestinians from the “inside” (citizens of Israel) and residents of the Occupied Territories. While Palestinian citizens of Israel are of course relatively privileged compared to West Bankers, they suffer much discrimination within the larger Israeli society.  As members of the larger Palestinian nation, they are also affected by the suffering of those within the Occupied Territories.