Of course that has nothing to do with Bischoff’s wonderful story or her superb telling of it.Īs for Bischoff’s writing, my only very mild complaint is that the transitions between narrators sometimes seem jarring (particularly going into Dylan’s perpective in a couple of scenes). First, I dislike the current publishing trend of setting type with a ragged right margin. Up front, I will admit that there are a couple of things about this book that I don’t like. In my opinion, a justified right margin with careful and sparing hyphenation makes a page more “transparent.” A symmetrical rectangle of type may be a good thing, because it allows the reading portion of your brain to stop noticing shape and drop into a semi-conscious zone, a gray matter buzz that won’t distract you from the movie in your mind. When you’re reading a story, your mind should be watching the movie, while your brain, or a part of it, zones-out interpreting the type. Side Rant: To me, ragged right margins in literature makes for a lot of visual distraction the story gets lost behind the words on the page. But in Hush Money, Susan Bischoff handles the dramas, both normal and talented, with superb synergy. Bischoff seems to have her typing fingers adroitly on the pulse of), Hush Money’s characters’ dealing with their supernatural differences might have suffered by a lack of a basis for comparison. Without the contrasting “typical troubles” of teen years (which Ms. Rather, this book focuses on the personal interactions, dramas and traumas of being different that compound the more familiar background teen angst and drama. In Hush Money, the genesis of the meta-normal Talents these kids have is glossed over. Hush Money is the first book that I have read that competes well in that league but, what league is that? For example, another literary treat that I would recommend-if you can find a copy-is “Pilgrimage: The Book of the People” by Zenna Henderson. In addition to the X-Men comics and movies, there are other entries that include everything from alien insemination to aliens among us. It is romance in the very definition of the word. The arena of kids with special powers, or Talents as they are called in Hush Money, is hardly empty. Initially, I will describe this book-in very general terms-as being a sort of X-Men tribute, but only because X-Men, as one example, seems to be the most ubiquitous in this subgenre. (I feel lucky to have a CreateSpace edition.) Also, be sure to check her out on her goodreads page, and see her sidebar at for more sources and formats). It is with great pleasure, and maybe even a certain sense of urgency, that I must attempt to turn you on (in the ’60s post-hippie sense) to “Hush Money,” a YA book and first in the Talent Chronicles series by author Susan Bischoff, available in paperback from Amazon and B&N, with ebooks for Kindle and Nook.
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