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A review by polyreader
The Push by Ashley Audrain
4.0
“The woman turned to me and we shared a look. Not a smile, but an acknowledgement that we had both morphed into versions of ourselves that didn’t feel as good as had been advertised.”
I read this whilst halfway through a few other books because the premise was so exciting, & essentially every other book became cancelled until I’d finished. I’ve had a bit of a strange start to the reading year, somehow selecting a handful of books with themes of motherhood that absolutely destroyed me mentally. Though in such a way that has helped me to critique my own mother-self, how much care I give to myself and the way in which I offer unconditional love & nurturing to my own children (note: caring for yourself and filing your own cup is essential IMO). The first of these books was Loved & Wanted (review on my feed), followed by Shuggie Bain (yet to review) and finally The Push.
The Push is a truly intoxicating thriller exploring the complexities of motherhood & nature vs. nurture. This is a tense and uncomfortable read, exploring the generations of women in Blythe’s family who’ve each had their own dark & complex experiences of motherhood. It seems inevitable that Blythe will follow in their footsteps but she’s determined to prove otherwise.
I found the book quite harrowing, especially being a mother to a toddler & pregnant with my second. From early on we get the vibe that something is off about Blythe’s (our protagonist) daughter, Violet. Blythe struggles to connect with Violet from birth & wonders if it’s the generational curse or if she actually has a troubled daughter. A few years later when Blythe has her second baby, a boy, & falls madly in love with him, we as the readers, begin to think that maybe Blythe is right - maybe there is something wrong with Violet.
About halfway through the book, we reach the most pivotal moment of the story & are thrown even further into the dark about who and what to believe. Thanks to the unreliable narration, it’s never truly clear whether what Blythe believes is a figment of her imagination, or perhaps she’s super in tune with Violet, given that she’s her mother.
While I strongly recommend this for its incredible prose (wow, it’s a DEBUT!), and compelling nature - I do want to people to tread carefully. This might not be for everyone!
Extremely thankful to Penguin for my gifted review copy.
I read this whilst halfway through a few other books because the premise was so exciting, & essentially every other book became cancelled until I’d finished. I’ve had a bit of a strange start to the reading year, somehow selecting a handful of books with themes of motherhood that absolutely destroyed me mentally. Though in such a way that has helped me to critique my own mother-self, how much care I give to myself and the way in which I offer unconditional love & nurturing to my own children (note: caring for yourself and filing your own cup is essential IMO). The first of these books was Loved & Wanted (review on my feed), followed by Shuggie Bain (yet to review) and finally The Push.
The Push is a truly intoxicating thriller exploring the complexities of motherhood & nature vs. nurture. This is a tense and uncomfortable read, exploring the generations of women in Blythe’s family who’ve each had their own dark & complex experiences of motherhood. It seems inevitable that Blythe will follow in their footsteps but she’s determined to prove otherwise.
I found the book quite harrowing, especially being a mother to a toddler & pregnant with my second. From early on we get the vibe that something is off about Blythe’s (our protagonist) daughter, Violet. Blythe struggles to connect with Violet from birth & wonders if it’s the generational curse or if she actually has a troubled daughter. A few years later when Blythe has her second baby, a boy, & falls madly in love with him, we as the readers, begin to think that maybe Blythe is right - maybe there is something wrong with Violet.
About halfway through the book, we reach the most pivotal moment of the story & are thrown even further into the dark about who and what to believe. Thanks to the unreliable narration, it’s never truly clear whether what Blythe believes is a figment of her imagination, or perhaps she’s super in tune with Violet, given that she’s her mother.
While I strongly recommend this for its incredible prose (wow, it’s a DEBUT!), and compelling nature - I do want to people to tread carefully. This might not be for everyone!
Extremely thankful to Penguin for my gifted review copy.