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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Ooowee, this was a TOUGH read as a first time mother. All of the “what-if” scenarios flooding my brain as I’d nurse my daughter to sleep. I had a hard time reading this but couldn’t put it down. I was so angry 90% of the time, disgusted and sad but still found the story addictive. Definitely wouldn’t categorize this as a thriller but more of a deep psychological family drama. This one is not for the light hearted. Definitely need to be in the right head space if you’re a mama! The writing was smooth and fast paced and I struggled to put it down. And the ending!! Ugh, I have to say- I love to hate characters sometimes lol if you know you know. 4.5 stars
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot begin to explain how much this book unsettled me, which as someone who loves a dark, gritty thriller, is saying a lot. Ashley Audrain has crafted a perfect psychological thriller, emphasis on the psychological aspect. I instantly set about trying to find other people who had read it so that I could discuss the way it had made me feel.
Reminiscent of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', The Push explores motherhood in a challenging, honest and unconventional way. Littered with throwbacks to Blythe's own mother and grandmother, it is primarily the story of Blythe Connor's relationship with her own daughter, Violet. Having a family history that certainly involves a noticeable lack of maternal instinct and mothering from one's biological mother, Blythe is quick to analyse her own relationship with her daughter, which is quite frankly nightmarish. The ultimate question is whether Blythe herself is a bad mother or whether Violet is in fact the problem.
I found Audrain's writing to be elegant, provocative and compelling - it is a book to race through, barely coming up for air until you've finished. And my opinion of Blythe and Violet flip-flopped constantly during the book, perfectly highlighting the nuances involved in any mother-daughter relationship but ultimately leaving the reader well and truly shocked. I can't recommend it enough and my only complaint would be that there isn't any further exploration of what happens in the last few pages. Be warned though, it is uncomfortable and difficult to read in places, touching upon the death of a child and emotional abuse, albeit all very well handled. A stunning debut, solidifying Audrain as someone I will be keeping an eye on to see what comes next.
Reminiscent of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', The Push explores motherhood in a challenging, honest and unconventional way. Littered with throwbacks to Blythe's own mother and grandmother, it is primarily the story of Blythe Connor's relationship with her own daughter, Violet. Having a family history that certainly involves a noticeable lack of maternal instinct and mothering from one's biological mother, Blythe is quick to analyse her own relationship with her daughter, which is quite frankly nightmarish. The ultimate question is whether Blythe herself is a bad mother or whether Violet is in fact the problem.
I found Audrain's writing to be elegant, provocative and compelling - it is a book to race through, barely coming up for air until you've finished. And my opinion of Blythe and Violet flip-flopped constantly during the book, perfectly highlighting the nuances involved in any mother-daughter relationship but ultimately leaving the reader well and truly shocked. I can't recommend it enough and my only complaint would be that there isn't any further exploration of what happens in the last few pages. Be warned though, it is uncomfortable and difficult to read in places, touching upon the death of a child and emotional abuse, albeit all very well handled. A stunning debut, solidifying Audrain as someone I will be keeping an eye on to see what comes next.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
I couldn’t put this book down. I kept wanting to see how the story played out. I thought it was really well-written.
What I liked: I found this book to be both thought provoking and all-consuming. When I wasn’t reading it I was either thinking of the storyline or wishing I was reading it. When I finished it I wanted to reread it, it was that good.
What I didn’t like: it ended
What I didn’t like: it ended
Yikes. I mean, YIKES. I'm not sure I can remember reading a good book such as this, that I wish I'd never read. For a debut it's well-written. The unreliable narrator is fleshed out and has a fully-realized inner life. I was moved to tears a few times by the author's observations about motherhood, about how horrible/wonderful it is. Her sketching of a marriage slowly crumbling is sobering. But still. Yikes.
I've been obsessed with The Bad Seed ever since unsupervised me saw the old movie at an inappropriately young age. It was just creepy and fascinating, and then later, when I saw it again and read the book, the family history angle (which is the point) also transfixed me. Why, I don't know. So this book resonated in that place where I'm drawn to this stuff but why? The idea that a child could be bad, maybe truly evil, but still you love her and still find moments of happiness; I think that is part of the ambivalence of motherhood writ large and, okay, nutso, but also sometimes plausible in those exhausting moments. Yeah. Yikes.
So, good book. Disturbing as hell. Frickin' yikes.
I've been obsessed with The Bad Seed ever since unsupervised me saw the old movie at an inappropriately young age. It was just creepy and fascinating, and then later, when I saw it again and read the book, the family history angle (which is the point) also transfixed me. Why, I don't know. So this book resonated in that place where I'm drawn to this stuff but why? The idea that a child could be bad, maybe truly evil, but still you love her and still find moments of happiness; I think that is part of the ambivalence of motherhood writ large and, okay, nutso, but also sometimes plausible in those exhausting moments. Yeah. Yikes.
So, good book. Disturbing as hell. Frickin' yikes.
Listened to this in a day which is kind of unheard of for me. So it definitely grabbed my attention. Towards the end I started wondering if it would be an unreliable narrator and she was like the other women in their family and driven by paranoia or madness that made them hate their daughters. And then started wondering if it would be revealed that all the daughters were a little bit sociopathic who drove their mothers crazy. Or something. The ending was somewhat expected but felt satisfying in vindicating Blythe. That said given I was sitting there trying to come up with all these theories, I was a tiny bit disappointed it was just as it’s had led up to the entire book. All these twists in thrillers have ruined me. I guess I was expecting a little more to come from all the history and generational build up.