The Environment

This blog log is dedicated to the environment in the novel and when thinking of the environment the first word that comes to mind is mist. The mystery of the book makes the environment seem cold, dark, dusky and foremost misty. The environment itself is seldom described with adjectives that clearly suggest that that is the case. In the following quote Nora describes the house she lives in. She calls it the farmhouse;

My mom and I lived in a drafty eighteenth-century farmhouse on the outskirts of Coldwater. It’s the only house on Hawthorne Lane, and the nearest neighbors are almost a mile away. I sometimes wonder if the original builder realized that out of all the plots of land available, he chose to construct the house in the eye of a mysterious atmospheric inversion that seems to suck all the fog off Maine’s coast and transplant it into our yard. The house was at this moment veiled by gloom that resembled escaped and wandering spirits. (Hush, hush. 2009. Becca Fitzpatrick, p.18)

The quote above shows one of the most clear and vivid descriptions of the environment in the entire book. Mostly the author describes the environment in the actions; therefore the picture of the environment is built in the mind as the actions go along. Generally that makes it less obvious that it actually is a description. It also makes the book move along in quite a fast pace. It’s clear in the following quote that the description comes suddenly and in the middle of an action;

The library doors were unlocked, and I fumbled my way inside. Past the bookshelves, at the far end of the library, were three small study rooms. They were soundproof; if Elliot wanted to isolate Vee, the rooms were an ideal place to put her. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.355)

The Farmhouse was mentioned earlier. The farmhouse is a good example of the choice of words that the author uses. Instead of using the word “home”, “the house” or “my house” for Nora’s home she uses “the farmhouse”. It is a constant reminder that the house isn’t just a normal house but that it actually is a farmhouse. Those small details make a big difference in the novel because it makes the descriptions of the environment more vivid.

The place that is easiest to envision is mostly the coastline, and the coastline is also one of the places that clearly contributes to the feeling of mist and darkness. As seen in the following quote;

Minutes later we were on the coastal highway, driving right along a cliff just above the ocean. I’d been this way before, and when the sun was out, the water was slate blue with patches of dark green where the water reflected the evergreens. It was night, and the ocean was smooth black poison. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p. 277)

This log have only covered the environment surrounding the characters, what about the actual characters? Tthe characters are more well-described than the environment, well-described meaning that the descriptions often is much more clear, for example the author uses more adjectives when describing a person, as seen in the following quotations; “His scent, which was all damp dark earth, overwhelmed me. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.126)

The ball was in his court – I’d smiled, and look how well that turned out. I wrinkled my nose, trying to figure out what he smelled like. Not cigarettes. Something richer, fouler. Cigars. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.11)

I tugged on matchstick jeans and ballet flats. I wrapped a Hally-blue silk scarf around my waist, up over my torso, then tied the ends behind my neck to fashion a halter-style blouse. I fluffed my hair, and there was a knock at the door. (Becca Fitzpatrick, p.224)

The Character

Nora is the main character in the book. In the beginning Nora describes her appearance as seen in the following quotation; “I’m a smoky-eyed brunette with volumes of curly hair that holds its own against even the best flatiron. And I’m all legs, like a bar stool.” (Hush, hush. 2009. Becca Fitzpatrick, p. 9). As seen in the quote, Nora has a sense of humor, especially when talking about herself. She doesn’t take things too seriously, which mostly is something positive. In that way Nora is kind of an easy going person but as the book goes it’s clear that it’s more to her than just legs and funny comments. She has a hard time figuring out her feelings about Patch, and her inner monologue is sometimes very funny. In the following quote you can read some of her first thoughts about the feelings that Patch brought up in her;

I’d liked a lot of what I’d seen. Long, lean muscles down his arms, broad but relaxed shoulders, and a smile that was part playful, part seductive. I was in an uneasy alliance with myself, trying to ignore what had started to feel irresistible. (Fitzpatrick, p.19-20)

Nora’s actions are spontaneous. She drives a 30 minute drive to a place called Bo’s Arcade to finish an assignment for biology class, even though Patch clearly pointed out that it wasn’t her type of scene. It is not the fantasy in the book that makes it unpredictable, it is Nora’s actions that do, because it is never easy to find out what she is up to next. The book would be nothing without Nora, not only because she is the main character but without her fun personality the book wouldn’t be worth reading.

Patch is Nora’s new lab partner. He is hard to describe, that is because Nora has a hard time figuring him out in the book. When Nora describes him at first it sounds like this; “He had an annoyingly confident walk, the kind that you find paired with faded T-shirts and a cowboy hat. Patch wore neither. He was a dark-Levi’s-dark-henley-dark-boots kind of guy.” (Fitzpatrick, p.16)

Up until this point in the book, Patch acts like he has got something hidden, something really bad. But somehow it also seems like he is a good guy, a guy to count on. Even though he flashes a dark smile some times, he also gives the impression of having a soft side; that is clear in the following quote when Nora told him that her father had been murdered; “There was a count of silence and the edge in Patch’s eyes seems to soften a touch.” (Fitzpatrick, p.15)

The Exposition

I walked into biology and my jaw fell open. Mysteriously adhered to the chalkboard was a Barbie doll, with Ken at her side. They’d been forced to link arms and were naked except for artificial leaves placed in a few choice locations. (Hush, Hush. Becca Fitzpatrick. Page 7)

These are the first three lines of the book Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Reading those first lines made the book seem as if it was a light book. It is humoristic and easy read and therefore it is easy to believe that it’s just another teenage book about intrigues, dating and friends. But somehow the book is still interesting; it gives a feeling that it has more to it than just a normal teenage drama book.

The book introduces us to the main character Nora. She is a normal high-school-girl trying to pick up her life after a tragic incident hitting her family; Nora’s father has been murdered, something that seems to be completely random.

Nora lives with her mother a bit outside of the town Coldwater, Maine. Nora seems a little withdrawn but as time goes, one sees that, that is not the case. Nora’s best friend Vee is more of an outgoing person. They have very different personalities and looks. The contrast between the girls seems almost too big, for them to be best friends.

The book begins at biology class; Nora is assigned a new lab partner. Nora is introduced to the mysterious guy, Patch. Patch gives the impression of being easygoing and very funny. He has a way of getting under Nora’s skin but she is also drawn to him immediately.

His black eyes sliced into me, and the corners of his mouth tilted up. My heart fumbled a beat and in that pause, a feeling of gloomy darkness seemed to slide like a shadow over me. It vanished in an instant, but I was still staring at him. His smile wasn’t friendly. It was a smile that spelled trouble. With a promise. (Hush, hush. Becca Fitzpatrick. Page 11)

These are Nora’s first thoughts after being introduced to Patch. Suddenly the book becomes interesting, maybe it isn’t just about a normal girl and a normal guy. He seems so wrong but why does she want him? Suddenly the need to know more about him is extreme. The need to find out if he is just a normal guy or if he has a dark past, hidden away.