Hush is a chilling exploration of the issues that plague one tight knit Jewish community. Throughout the book, the speaker switches between life in 2000 and life in 2008- without spoiling the suspense. 

  The premise is complex- Gittel lives in a Hasidic community in New York City. Her life is governed by strict religious practices and discipline. Her best friend, however, is a rebel. Devory loves to read, get in trouble, and play. Devory's family is concerned about her because she keeps getting into trouble. Only Gittel knows the truth- Devory is being horribly abused by her brother and every rebellious act that Devory commits is a silent cry for help. Later in the book, Gittel has to come to terms with what happened to Devory- and how to prevent it from ever happening again. 

    The book is well crafted, but what makes it compelling is the author. Eishes Chayil is a pseudonym- it means "Woman of Valor" in Hebrew. The author of the book came out after it was published- her real name is Judy Brown, and she herself grew up in a Hasidic family.

  This novel is hard to swallow for some readers, but Brown captures the voice of a child perfectly. If anything, it makes the novel more haunting. The book may be fiction, but abuse is a reality in many isolated communities.