Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most orthodox Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail-and abuse has never been a part of it. Then young Gittel witnesses an unspeakable act of abuse against her best friend Devory at the hands of a family member, an act that goes against everything she's ever been taught as a Jew. For the first time in her life, there are no guidelines to tell her what to do, and the adults in her community try to persuade her that nothing happened. So she remains silent. But even inaction has consequences, and sometimes they are deadly.
Now as a teenager, Gittel is racked with guilt over the choices she made as a child, and those that were forced upon her by the community she once trusted. She begins to question everything about herself-her memories of the past and the beliefs of her sect.
A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humour and depth, understanding and horror. Hush reveals, rather than judges, a complex and fascinating world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between old age traditions and today's reality.
