Book reviews: Hush, Hush

Like I said, I have read some good books over the past couple of weeks. But I'd really rather tell you about the one I most hated.

Hush, Hush (Paranormal Romance)

(Normally I would write *spoilers* here, but nothing I have to say can spoil this book any more than the plot already has)

To understand "Hush, Hush," you have to go back to the book that made the whole paranormal romance thing really take off - Twilight. Twilight managed to take a story about a 105-year-old vampire stalking a human girl and lusting after her blood and to make it a romance. 

"Hush, Hush," looked at Twilight and said - if a 105-year-old immortal guy feeling tempted to kill a 17-year-old high school student is romantic, what if we made him, like, 10,000 years old and he was actively plotting her murder? How hot would that be?

The book features the relationship between Nora and Patch, who is a fallen angel (Yes, the male lead is named "Patch." Really. I can't imagine the name bringing to mind anything but either a Depression-era hobo, a serial-killing clown, or Patch Adams as played by Robin Williams. (It's hard to say which of those three would make the worst romantic lead (Hey Snan, new writing contest - see who can write the better romantic short story starring a serial-killing clown))).

Nora and Patch meet when he decides to murder her in a ritual sacrifice aimed at getting him a human body (There's a great how-we-met story for the grandkids). Later, of course, he decides not to murder her after all. Because he's realized what a horrific crime it would have been? Because he grew as a person and was able to see beyond his own selfish desires? Because he's come to understand the value of human life? 

Of course not.

From the book: "I'm not going to kill you, Nora. I don't kill people who are important to me. And you top the list."

That would be the male lead flat-out telling the female lead that the only reason he's not murdering her is that he likes her right now. Her response is to make out with him in the bathroom of a movie theater. Really.

(Warning to male readers: if you are in need of a romantic gesture, don't go with "non-murder." That kind of thing really only works in books. Real life women are a lot less impressed by "Happy Valentines Day, honey! I didn't stab you to death in your sleep last night - did you like it??")

Getting back to the plot: Later, Nora's life is in danger anyway, as the villain of the book tries to kill her to get at Patch. What could he have against such a nice guy as Patch? Well, it turns out that for two weeks a year for the past 500+ years Patch has been entering his mind and taking control of his body while he remains a helpless spectator. It's heavily implied that the mind-rape is accompanied by rape-rape - a fellow fallen angel mentions his plans to use his own temporary human body to hook up with women. Does his human host want to do that? He doesn't care. Does Patch object to this? No. In fact, the other angel mentions Patch's tastes in human women.

Look, I know that these books aren't meant to be taken seriously. I know there needs to be suspension of disbelief for it to work. But - speaking seriously for a minute here - this book took the whole not caring what messages it's sending thing way, way too far. It really disturbs me that this is, apparently, a very popular book (I decided to read it after finding it near the top of a few lists of popular teen paranormal romance novels. Like I said, it's for research).

Twilight was bad enough, with its "it's not stalking if he loves you" message. This book is coming straight out and saying it's OK if a guy tried to hurt you before, as long as now he says he likes you and he's sorry. And it's OK if he hurts other people, that has nothing to do with you and the love you share.

On a scale of one to five, I give this book negative three stars. I'm considering burning the copy I borrowed from the library and offering two books on how to recognize abusive relationships in its place.

(PS - how old is Patch? The book never says. A book about angels, and the human characters don't care enough to ask where they came from or which religion if any got things right or any of that. It's not that stories with angels and demons need to back a particular theology - Cassandra Claire's City of Bones series had a nice way of leaving that issue unresolved - but when nobody even asks, they kind of look like simpletons, in my humble opinion.)