Recently Read: Hush, Hush
Hush, Hush
Becca Fitzpatrick
Simon & Schuster BFYR (2009)
Nora Grey is just your average high school sophomore. Best friend: check. Good grades: check. College plans: check. But it's been one year since her father was murdered, and Nora has the strange feeling that someone's been following her. And then there's the mysterious new boy in school, Patch, who just might have a dangerous secret...
Hush, Hush had been buzzing around on the edge of my radar for a while. I'd seen it around here and there, but it was its appearance on Flashlight Worthy's Best YA of 2009 list, enthusiastically recommended by Lorena from YAthenaeum, that sealed the deal. The oh-so-pretty cover artwork was also enticing.
The book design turned out to be just about the only thing I liked about Hush, Hush. Getting through it was actually a struggle, and I actually put it down for an entire week while I jaunted off for a too-brief European holiday.[ 1] It was only through the force of determination and cookie dough that I finally managed to slog through the dull first three hundred pages and sprint to the finish line. Success!
A friend of mine, aware of my fondness for YA, asked me several months ago what I thought about Twilight. She'd worked for a literary agency for a while and had read the first book for educational reasons. She told me that if she'd been sent a query, she probably would have requested the manuscript, but would have been on the edge about whether to accept it, and would likely have ended up rejecting it. I replied that I would probably have done the same.
I mention this because my reaction to Hush, Hush was almost identical. Intellectually, I can reason out the novel's appeal: there is intrigue and romance, and features an ordinary girl with a sexy and mysterious love interest. Nora, like Bella, is the girl next door, a protagonist whose shoes any reader can easily imagine her- or himself filling. If Edward is the chivalrous gentleman, Patch is the sexy, bad boy with a mysterious past, whom Nora finds magnetizing despite her better judgment.[ 2] Conflict and UST ensue! Smirks and sidelong glances! Washboard abs! Near death experiences! & etc., & etc. The plot, including a drawn out reveal of Patch's Big Secret, is mostly filler meant to prolong the resolution of the perennial question of romance: Will the two would-be lovers ever get together?[ 3]
The resolution is as inevitable as a vampire's thirst for blood.
Other Twilight similarities include a dull cast of characters, including a creepily stalkerish male lead, stilted dialogue, a rainy town, and a preponderance of unnecessary descriptive details.
Nevertheless, Hush, Hush has been enormously successful, a New York Times bestseller with a sequel due out in November and legions of fans. So, I would love to know: What do you like about this book? Am I being too harsh? Did my Twilight comparison make you want to throw soft muffins at me?[ 4] Which supernatural love interest in YA romance wins your vote?
[ 1] I will be happy to expound on the joys of European vacations at any time. Just give me the word.
[ 2]I am far from being an Edward fan, but I would take his standoffishness over Patch's lasciviousness any day. Patch objectifies Nora like it's his job. Smarmy smirks, once-overs, and innuendos abound. Consider their first interaction, in biology (!) class. First, he ignores her. Then, he is rude ("And she speaks English."). Then, an innuendo ("Call me Patch. I mean it. Call me."). Then, he's mean (mocking her studiousness -- which Nora accepts as a spot-on observation! -- and listing her faults). Then, he asks her if she sleeps naked! And if she's been to a shrink! (11-15) & etc. And this is only their first conversation! It does not get any better. So. Not. Attractive.
[ 3]Note: I am not criticizing romance novels. In fact, I like romance. I am merely stating one of their conventions, the necessary happy ending.
[ 4]I had an anthropology professor once, may he rest in peace, who in one of his more hilarious senile moments exclaimed, "And if you don't like it, you can throw soft muffins at me!" True story.
Becca Fitzpatrick
Simon & Schuster BFYR (2009)
Nora Grey is just your average high school sophomore. Best friend: check. Good grades: check. College plans: check. But it's been one year since her father was murdered, and Nora has the strange feeling that someone's been following her. And then there's the mysterious new boy in school, Patch, who just might have a dangerous secret...
Hush, Hush had been buzzing around on the edge of my radar for a while. I'd seen it around here and there, but it was its appearance on Flashlight Worthy's Best YA of 2009 list, enthusiastically recommended by Lorena from YAthenaeum, that sealed the deal. The oh-so-pretty cover artwork was also enticing.
The book design turned out to be just about the only thing I liked about Hush, Hush. Getting through it was actually a struggle, and I actually put it down for an entire week while I jaunted off for a too-brief European holiday.[ 1] It was only through the force of determination and cookie dough that I finally managed to slog through the dull first three hundred pages and sprint to the finish line. Success!
A friend of mine, aware of my fondness for YA, asked me several months ago what I thought about Twilight. She'd worked for a literary agency for a while and had read the first book for educational reasons. She told me that if she'd been sent a query, she probably would have requested the manuscript, but would have been on the edge about whether to accept it, and would likely have ended up rejecting it. I replied that I would probably have done the same.
I mention this because my reaction to Hush, Hush was almost identical. Intellectually, I can reason out the novel's appeal: there is intrigue and romance, and features an ordinary girl with a sexy and mysterious love interest. Nora, like Bella, is the girl next door, a protagonist whose shoes any reader can easily imagine her- or himself filling. If Edward is the chivalrous gentleman, Patch is the sexy, bad boy with a mysterious past, whom Nora finds magnetizing despite her better judgment.[ 2] Conflict and UST ensue! Smirks and sidelong glances! Washboard abs! Near death experiences! & etc., & etc. The plot, including a drawn out reveal of Patch's Big Secret, is mostly filler meant to prolong the resolution of the perennial question of romance: Will the two would-be lovers ever get together?[ 3]
The resolution is as inevitable as a vampire's thirst for blood.
Other Twilight similarities include a dull cast of characters, including a creepily stalkerish male lead, stilted dialogue, a rainy town, and a preponderance of unnecessary descriptive details.
Nevertheless, Hush, Hush has been enormously successful, a New York Times bestseller with a sequel due out in November and legions of fans. So, I would love to know: What do you like about this book? Am I being too harsh? Did my Twilight comparison make you want to throw soft muffins at me?[ 4] Which supernatural love interest in YA romance wins your vote?
[ 1] I will be happy to expound on the joys of European vacations at any time. Just give me the word.
[ 2]I am far from being an Edward fan, but I would take his standoffishness over Patch's lasciviousness any day. Patch objectifies Nora like it's his job. Smarmy smirks, once-overs, and innuendos abound. Consider their first interaction, in biology (!) class. First, he ignores her. Then, he is rude ("And she speaks English."). Then, an innuendo ("Call me Patch. I mean it. Call me."). Then, he's mean (mocking her studiousness -- which Nora accepts as a spot-on observation! -- and listing her faults). Then, he asks her if she sleeps naked! And if she's been to a shrink! (11-15) & etc. And this is only their first conversation! It does not get any better. So. Not. Attractive.
[ 3]Note: I am not criticizing romance novels. In fact, I like romance. I am merely stating one of their conventions, the necessary happy ending.
[ 4]I had an anthropology professor once, may he rest in peace, who in one of his more hilarious senile moments exclaimed, "And if you don't like it, you can throw soft muffins at me!" True story.