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A review by leslie1187
The Push by Ashley Audrain
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a stand out psychological thriller about a woman who suffers postpartum with the birth of her first child. It is because of her postpartum that she doesn’t feel as connected with her daughter. This disconnection seems to create a detachment between mother and daughter that causes the daughter to act out in unthinkable ways. At the same time, the reader is left questioning how much is reality, or if any of this is exaggerated within your own mind. There are certain instances that occur that leave you feeling like it isn’t just in her head.
Yet the main character ends up trying for another child and this time she feels that intense motherly connection with her son. It also shows us more of the resentment her daughter feels toward her and at what depth. Then an unthinkable act happens that sends the main character spiraling. No one seems to believe her about her daughter, which leads to her questioning her own sanity. Her husband never believed her no matter what things her daughter did to show her detachment and resentment, as well as behavior.
We are also getting glimpses of the main character’s grandma’s and mom’s perspectives of when they each had their child. Each woman in this family didn’t necessarily want a child and had a hard time after giving birth. The main character is the only one who actually wanted to try to have a child and who really wanted that motherly connection. We get glimpses into her mind of her doubts of motherhood, while at the same time she still wants to try and become a great mother.
There is infidelity that happens when her husband starts to pull away from her while she is spiraling after the unthinkable incident that occurs. This results in their separation and he ends up having a baby with the woman he had an affair with. Our main character hides her true identity and befriends this woman. She gains a friend, but then her husband discovers the deception and puts an end to the friendship. Readers are made to believe that our main character is unreliable based on some of the other characters’ reactions and responses. But then something happens at the very end that leads the other woman to breaking the long silence by reaching out. Something that makes it seem the main character may have been right about her daughter the whole time. It is left in such an ambiguous way that I was a bit shell shocked and needed to sleep on it before forming words to write this review.
If you are a fan of psychological thriller that are more literary in the sense that they delve into the psyche of one and/or more characters, then you should pick this up. If you are currently experiencing postpartum, then maybe wait until you’ve conquered that hurdle in your own life before reading this book. It is a very fast paced read and has short chapters that make you keep going, thinking just one more. I will definitely be thinking of this one for a long time, plus any time it comes up in conversation.
Yet the main character ends up trying for another child and this time she feels that intense motherly connection with her son. It also shows us more of the resentment her daughter feels toward her and at what depth. Then an unthinkable act happens that sends the main character spiraling. No one seems to believe her about her daughter, which leads to her questioning her own sanity. Her husband never believed her no matter what things her daughter did to show her detachment and resentment, as well as behavior.
We are also getting glimpses of the main character’s grandma’s and mom’s perspectives of when they each had their child. Each woman in this family didn’t necessarily want a child and had a hard time after giving birth. The main character is the only one who actually wanted to try to have a child and who really wanted that motherly connection. We get glimpses into her mind of her doubts of motherhood, while at the same time she still wants to try and become a great mother.
There is infidelity that happens when her husband starts to pull away from her while she is spiraling after the unthinkable incident that occurs. This results in their separation and he ends up having a baby with the woman he had an affair with. Our main character hides her true identity and befriends this woman. She gains a friend, but then her husband discovers the deception and puts an end to the friendship. Readers are made to believe that our main character is unreliable based on some of the other characters’ reactions and responses. But then something happens at the very end that leads the other woman to breaking the long silence by reaching out. Something that makes it seem the main character may have been right about her daughter the whole time. It is left in such an ambiguous way that I was a bit shell shocked and needed to sleep on it before forming words to write this review.
If you are a fan of psychological thriller that are more literary in the sense that they delve into the psyche of one and/or more characters, then you should pick this up. If you are currently experiencing postpartum, then maybe wait until you’ve conquered that hurdle in your own life before reading this book. It is a very fast paced read and has short chapters that make you keep going, thinking just one more. I will definitely be thinking of this one for a long time, plus any time it comes up in conversation.