Author:Isabella Hammad

A woman reeling from a disastrous love affair finds love and hope in Shakespeare and Palestine - from the award-winning author of The Parisian
***A SUNDAY TIMES AND OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023***
'Different to anything else being written right now in English'
SUNDAY TIMES
After years away from her family's homeland, and reeling from a disastrous love affair, actress Sonia Nasir returns to Haifa to visit her older sister Haneen. While Haneen made a life here commuting to Tel Aviv to teach at the university, Sonia remained in London to focus on her acting career and now dissolute marriage. On her return, she finds her relationship to Palestine is fragile, both bone-deep and new.
When Sonia meets the charismatic and candid Mariam, a local director, she joins a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Soon, Sonia is rehearsing Gertrude's lines in classical Arabic with a dedicated group of men who, in spite of competing egos and priorities, all want to bring Shakespeare to that side of the wall. As opening night draws closer and the warring intensifies, it becomes clear just how many obstacles stand before the troupe. Amidst it all, the life Sonia once knew starts to give way to the daunting, exhilarating possibility of finding a new self in her ancestral home.
Timely, thoughtful, and passionate, Isabella Hammad's highly anticipated second novel is an exquisite story of the connection to be found in family and shared resistance.
'A pretty flawless writer'
THE TIMES
Feels completely different to anything else being written right now in English, a heartfelt meditation on the relationship between art and politics.
—— Sunday TimesEnter Ghost retells Hamlet for now, dropping its readers deep into the contemporary tensions of the West Bank, asking crucial and layered questions... Hammad is a calm and vital storyteller, a writer of real rhythmic grace.
—— Ali Smith, author of AutumnA powerful new novel... Hammad is a pretty flawless writer.
—— The TimesBeautifully written, poignant yet forceful, thoughtful and thought provoking, but above all challenging the reader to respond to the question facing the characters in the novel: how to live under occupation while preserving your dignity and humanity? Hammad answers this question through taking us into the hearts and minds of the characters in the novel and through that into the heart and mind of Palestine.
—— Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in TehranA thought-provoking and highly topical story about the complex connections to be found in art, politics and family life.
—— Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*Enter Ghost is a masterful, deeply convincing portrait of the all-too-real consequences of political theater - in both senses. A moving and important novel that presses upon the urgent question of how we ought to live in the midst of the rubble (and ongoing chaos) of political crisis.
—— Namwali Serpell, author of The Old DriftA magnificent, deeply imagined story... A thought-provoking, engrossing story about the connections to be found in art, politics and family life.
—— Sunday TimesOutstanding. Next-level. Aesthetically, intellectually, emotionally and culturally satisfying... Isabella Hammad is incapable of striking a false note. She immerses her heroine in volatile territory with the accuracy, compassion and coolness of a surgical knife sliding into a diseased body. The result is a stunning beauty - an eye-opening, uplifting novel that grants its vulnerable cast and their endeavors a rare and graceful dignity.
—— Leila Aboulela, author of MinaretThere could hardly be a more urgent time to understand the inner lives of Palestinians, which are here depicted with poignance and grace.
—— Observer, *Books of the Year*A richly layered novel... Hammad takes her time, writing with an elegant, confident poise and accumulation of detail this is refreshingly unfashionable.
—— ObserverCompelling... The blend of personal and political feels remarkably fresh.
—— Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*A stirring novel and a tribute to those Palestinians who have attempted, and attempt, to make art despite the forces ranged against them.
—— Times Literary SupplementTerrific… Enter Ghost though contemporary, is thoroughly infused with Palestine’s past - and thoroughly haunted by Sonia’s. Hammad, who is both a delicate writer and an exact one, intertwines the two, taking care to give Sonia as many personal ghosts as she does historical ones.
—— New York Times Book ReviewPowerful... Enter Ghost is a remarkable work by a novelist who writes about Palestinians with the same love and exasperation that one might feel towards one's family.
—— Literary ReviewA soul-stirring and dramatic tale of a Palestinian family's exile and reconciliation... The layered text, rich in languages and literary references, dives deep into Sonia's consciousness, illustrating her hopes for what art can accomplish. This deeply human work will stay with readers.
—— Publishers Weekly, *Starred Review*Perhaps all I can say is that I am so grateful – for Enter Ghost’s precision, for its imagination of theatre as occupiable and reclaimable space, for the way it observes and reifies resistance with such clarity... An ambitious and remarkably accomplished work... Compelling, commanding… A page-turner of real depth as well as some remarkable lightness.
—— Skinny, *Books of the Year*Evans is a profoundly important chronicler of our times. Her velveteen prose is utterly precise, so detailed and artful . . . A writer at the top of her game
—— Leone RossSuperb. A deeply enriching and profound novel. Diana Evans is one of our greatest writers. We're so lucky to have her
—— Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch'A poignant and elegant unfurling of the intricacies of family life - sensitively observed and beautifully written'
—— Nicola Rollock, author of The Racial CodeAn orchestral, richly textured portrait of interconnected middle-class Black lives in contemporary London . . . Witty, poignant and emotionally acute
—— The BooksellerA state-of-the-nation masterpiece... This is rich, multi-layered novel of interconnected lives... another rich, detailed portrait of not-so-ordinary people
—— Harper's BazaarBeautifully conceived, A House for Alice is a luminous, big-hearted novel about the people and things that enable us to find, keep and call somewhere a home
—— Financial TimesA rich evocation of south London, a poignant account of a dwindling marriage and a lovely celebration of music
—— GuardianAn impressive sequel to 2018's Ordinary People
—— Financial Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*[A] tender yet political tale
—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2023*Lyrical and excoriating
—— Guardian, *Books of the Year*Each of the muses had an extraordinary story to tell... I was utterly absorbed from beginning to end.
—— Annie Kirby, author of The Hollow SeaSmart, sophisticated and fun
—— OPRAH DAILYDelightful. The woman narrating ROMANTIC COMEDY is hyper-aware of the conventions of romantic comedy, and she knows full well that real life is no fairytale. But could it be this time?
—— WASHINGTON POSTSittenfeld's latest takes a shot of SNL and makes sparks fly
—— ELLEHilarious, heartwarming
—— HARPER'S BAZAARIf you're looking for a romance with edge, this book is for you. The writing is as intelligent and funny as you'd expect from the author of classics such as American Wife and it's a properly swoonsome love story
—— GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGCancel plans and dive into bestselling author Sittenfeld's hilarious take on the classic will-they-won't-they storyline
—— ELLEWritten by one of the very best out there, Romantic Comedy is a novel that you won't want to put down and one you'll want to recommend to everyone you know
—— GLAMOURAn enthralling, humorous and subversive tale set in the world of a live TV comedy show
—— STYLISTWhip-smart, funny and a fascinating look behind the scenes of a sketch show. Curtis Sittenfeld has penned another exquisitely written novel
—— WOMAN'S WEEKLYA piercing look at the genre of Romcom set against the backdrop of a Saturday Night Live-esque TV show - a rollercoaster of modern love and dating
—— STYLISTI ate it up whole. Joyful
—— EVA WISEMAN, OBSERVERGet lost in a modern romantic fantasy
—— DAILY RECORDA humorous take on Hollywood romcoms
—— BBC BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARSexy, funny, thought-provoking and everything I hoped it would be. Her best novel since American Wife.
—— RED, Best Books of the YearRomantic Comedy combines humour with poignancy and a lot of heart.
—— GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Best romance books to readSittenfeld's novel continues her wider project of exploring the possibility for a kind of redemptive idealism within our flawed world
—— GUARDIANSittenfeld has penned another exquisitely written novel
—— WOMAN MAGAZINEA fizzy love letter to the prototypical romcom
—— NEW YORK TIMES, Editor's ChoiceSo much of Sittenfeld's work exists in the dissection and comprehension of female desire
—— NEW YORK TIMESFlirting with the tropes of its namesake genre, this playful novel follows Sally, a writer on an "S.N.L."-like show called "Night Owls," who falls in love with one of its guest hosts. Their relationship develops via e-mail in the post-grocery-wiping, pre-vaccine days of covid-19. When Sally decides to visit her beloved in L.A., their time together in his Topanga mansion requires her to navigate incredulity, insecurity, and an offer that she feels is an "affront to my independence." The novel is preoccupied with the instinctual nature of self-sabotage, and with the fulfillment that can come from defying ingrained impulses
—— NEW YORKERInsightful romcom sparkles with real wit and wisdom
—— SUNDAY INDEPENDENTWhip smart and really funny
—— BUSINESS POSTScores big on giving readers an insight into the machinations of a TV writers-room
—— CRACKFull of dazzling banter and sizzling chemistry
—— PEOPLE MAGAZINEIf you ever wanted a backstage pass to Saturday Night Live, this book is for you
—— GOOD MORNING AMERICAExcellent
—— MAIL ON SUNDAYBoth a brilliant portrait of the comedy world and a witty grown-up love story. Lives up to its name
—— IRISH TIMES