Book review: Hush Now, by L.A. Green

hush nowGreen, L.A. Hush Now. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing, 2012. $13.99. Paperback. 207p. ISBN: 978-1-4575-1340-4.

In spite of living during a time when slavery was the norm, Ruth and Rebecca prove that true love can thrive beyond their wildest dreams.

Hush Now is a rousing story of Sapphic love between Ruth, a house slave, and her mistress Rebecca Montgomery. Early in the story, Rebecca finds herself quite taken with Ruth as “butterflies flew from her stomach into her throat” during a trip to Charleston for the slave auction where Rebecca’s family purchases Ruth. After returning to the family plantation, Ruth and Rebecca fall into the age-old routine of life, but there is an undercurrent of yearning and desire waiting to carry them into a forbidden love neither has known. Eloquently written with a spicy mix of moxie and humor, Hush Now follows the lovebirds as they embark on a joyous odyssey known only to them through whispers, knowing eye contact, and nightly Shakespearean reenactments.

The reality of their individual plights in their unforgiving environment is ever-present. Rebecca’s father, Grafton, is generous to his slaves but recognizes that “a happy slave is money in the pocket.” Rebecca believes that the love she has for Ruth will be beyond her father’s understanding. As a slave, Ruth is in the precarious position of having the world view the color of her skin as an unforgivable sin. Indeed, the very real and dangerous repercussions of loving her mistress would most certainly snuff out her life. Yet the magnetic pull Rebecca and Ruth feel keeps them silently fighting for the love they know is right for them, no matter what the possible consequences.

By design, Hush Now will incite you and make you cringe at times, but it will also make you grin from ear to ear with their successes as their taboo love creates ways for the love to grow beyond what they ever could have imagined. While adult in nature, Hush Now is appropriate for any type of library.

Reviewer: Michelle D. Dartis

 

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3 comments

  1. Hush Now is also recognized as a “National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist – GLBT”…and this review (GLBTRT) has given the author a beautiful compliment. I hope others have a chance to enjoy the creative journey.

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