A thoughtful and moving novel which examines the many layers of Palestinian identity, masterfully mirroring Hamlet's themes and theatrical elements onA thoughtful and moving novel which examines the many layers of Palestinian identity, masterfully mirroring Hamlet's themes and theatrical elements onto the backdrop of Palestine and Israel. Hammad beautifully captures the internal voice of an actor, as well as the familial bonding of a cast through the process of rehearsals and performances of a piece of theatre. The squabbles, crushes, jealousy, and undying support that grows in that environment like a weed. She also deftly handles the complexity of varying Palestinian experiences, the different rights and freedoms assigned based on so many arbitrary factors, and the oppressive military presence and surveillance that lends a sense of foreboding to the everyday.
Hamlet, having been banned in Israeli prisons as it was seen as a dangerous text featuring a man blazing with anger, hungering to avenge a profound injustice, was the perfect choice of play to set the stage for this book, and I loved the way the text was interwoven with dialogue to reinforce and deepen it.
I will definitely be reading more of Hammad's work.
“I think that, sometimes, when calamity strikes and puts normal life under strain, feelings that have been stifled by everyday evasion can break free and make it easy to talk where before it felt impossible. Clouds, parted, dissolve. I wondered if this was always happening in Palestine, where calamity was always so close. Or whether it was different for those who, living here, endured it without respite, for whom constant calamity was itself the condition of normal life.” Page 316
Loading...
