Bibliography: Chayil, Eishes. (2010). Hush. New York: Walker Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0802720887
Plot Summary: Seventeen year old Gittel, part of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, has one foot in childhood and one in adulthood as she giggles and gossips with her friends, tries make-up, spends time with her loving family, and gets ready to start her life as a woman in an arranged marriage. But her childhood best friend Devory is not here to share in the fun and festivities. Gittel couldn’t save Devory, and she can’t get anyone to listen to her, but she is determined to make it right.
Critical Analysis: The beauty in this debut novel is in its honesty. It would be easy for Chayil (a pseudonym for women raised in a world of Chassidic schools, synagogues, and summer camps) to show only the negative side of this world, but she gives us a loving family, lots of friends and warm rituals. It makes the horror of the incest and its surrounding silence even worse.
Gittel is strong young woman and many teen girls will empathize and feel a connection to her. She is faced with making a horrible decision, one that might effect not only her future, but that of her family whom she loves dearly. I hope Chayil is working on her next book. We need more clear-eyed visions of our world and the people in it.
Readalikes: This book reminded me a great deal of Carol Lynch Williams The Chosen One, another clear eyed view of a different closed religious group featuring another young woman coming to terms with the fact that her accepted world view and way of life might not be as ideal as she first thought.
Review Excerpts: “This thoughtful, disturbing, and insightful novel provides an insider’s view of an insular society that denies the reality of rape and oppression within its ranks….It is fitting that it is through the written word that both Gittel and the author are able to speak for the Devorys of the world.”–School Library Journal
“In this stunning debut, Chayil (a pseudonym) takes readers into a cloistered society and exposes its secrets. This is powerful stuff and a glimpse into places not often seen.”–Booklist
“This painful, respectful story of redemption is well worth delving into Yiddish-laden prose. No Chillul Hashem here, but gemilut hasadim and tikun olam: serving the dead in lovingkindness, repairing the world.”–Kirkus Reviews
“[The author] delivers her central message in an engaging coming-of-age story in which tragedy is only one element in a gossipy milieu of school and career decisions and arranged marriages, designer shoes and tasteful cosmetics, and sneak peaks out from a world of restraint and devotion into the world of Oprah.”–BCCB
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