Enter Ghost

Examine the novel's exploration of memory and recognition. How do characters come to terms with past events and their implications?

Discuss the significance of language in the novel, particularly the use of Arabic translations of Shakespeare.

Discuss the significance of using "Hamlet" as the play-within-the-novel. How does Shakespeare's work parallel or illuminate the themes of "Enter Ghost"?

Analyze the relationship between Sonia and her sister Haneen. How do their different reactions to witnessing political oppression as teenagers shape their adult lives and perspectives? How true to life does their relationship feel?

How does Hammad explore the concept of "ghosts" throughout the novel? Consider personal, familial, and historical hauntings.

Discuss the sections written as play scripts. How do these stylistic choices enhance the story and themes?

Let's talk about Mariam, the director. How does she embody the tensions between artistic vision and political activism?

How does the novel address the concept of "home" for characters like Sonia, who have complex relationships with their ancestral lands?

Discuss the theme of identity in "Enter Ghost." How do characters like Sonia navigate their complex cultural and national identities?

How does Hammad address the ethical implications of representing suffering through art? Discuss the line, "in some way the meaning of our Hamlet depended on this suffering."

Explore the theme of motherhood in "Enter Ghost." How does Hammad portray different aspects of motherhood through characters like Sonia (playing Gertrude), Mariam, and the broader cultural symbolism of mothers in Palestinian resistance? Consider how personal experiences of motherhood intersect with political and cultural expectations.

Discuss the role of theater as political resistance as portrayed in the novel. How effective is art as a form of activism? Do you think this novel functions as a form of resistance?