and were told to be quiet, were accused of lying because the truth would mean scandal for the family. They told people they should have been able to trust - parents, teachers, etc. The story reminded me a lot of Speak, but it was more frustrating, more upsetting even, because the protagonist and the victim wanted and tried to speak out. I recently keep finding these novels where the author really knows what they are talking about and it does make all the difference to the story, everything is more detailed, more easily imaginable. What I didn't know at first is that Eishes Chayil grew up in such a community and has experienced the lifestyle first-hand, the story is actually loosely based on what she witnessed herself as a child (read the afterword). This book is about a strict Jewish community where keeping up appearances is what matters most and what happens behind closed doors stays there unless you want to bring shame upon your family. However, though I was immediately turned off by all the confusing Jewish terms I'd never heard of and found it difficult to connect with the story and narrator at first because of this, I quickly got used to it and Hush turned into a novel I won't be forgetting any time soon.
I normally find that my initial instincts are correct when reading a novel, if I struggle to get into it in the first few chapters I often never do. The first piece of advice I would give someone who's going to read this book is to stick with it. I'm really quite disturbed and upset by this so if you're looking for something light and easy: stay away from Hush.
I was going to go to bed and write a review in the morning but I can't sleep because this book has affected me so much.
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