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Hush: An Irish Princess’ Tale
By Donna Jo Napoli
Atheneum, 2007. 308 pages.
Reviewed by Michael Wilt
 In Hush, one of the masters of young adult historical fiction gives us the story of fourteen-year-old Melkorka, a medieval Irish princess. Melkorka and her younger sister become caught up in an altercation between her father and the Norsemen who appear more and more frequently on Irish shores. In the process of an attempt to trick the Norse, Melkorka and the spirited Brigid are taken prisoner and transported a long way from home by men who speak a language unknown to them.
As in her earlier historical works, Donna Jo Napoli transports readers to another place and time with apparent ease. She does this largely by telling the story in Melkorka’s voice, giving a firsthand view of her perceptions, feelings, confusion, and grief — and of her developing wisdom in the face of horrendous circumstances that lead her into a life completely unlike the one she expected as the daughter of an Irish king and queen.
A barebones summary of the plot reveals none of the richness of Melkorka’s voice and the distance she must grow in order to survive many losses — her sister, her friends, her innocence — as she is sold into concubinage by a Russian slave dealer who brutally trawls the coastlines of northern Europe in search of prey. Ironically, it is by remaining silent throughout the entire ordeal that Melkorka protects herself from the worst of the fates that might befall her.
The source of Hush is an Icelandic saga in which an apparently mute concubine/slave is overheard speaking Gaelic to her child, thus revealing her origin. The saga offers little more than that, but Napoli has fleshed out that kernel with a fascinating backstory and a heroine who is more than just a survivor — she is a woman who learns that even a touch of power can work wonders.
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