INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER“Utterly addictive.” —Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train“Written with an unflinching eye and a stylistically sharp, tight economy The Push is a single-sitting read, as suspenseful as any thriller, as thoughtful as any literary novel, with an almost physical force behind each of its turns and revelations.” —Toronto StarA tense, page-turning psychological … revelations.” —Toronto Star
A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, told through the eyes of a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.
Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, supportive mother she never had to her new baby Violet.
But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe doesn’t find the connection with her daughter she expected. She’s convinced that something is wrong with Violet–the little girl is distant, rejects affection, and becomes increasingly disruptive at preschool.
Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she is imagining things. Fox doesn’t see what Blythe sees; he sees a wife who is struggling to cope with the day-to-day challenges of being a mother. And the more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity…
Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the natural maternal connection she’d always dreamed of. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth about herself, her past, and her daughter.
The Push is a rare and extraordinary gift to readers: a novel about the expectations of motherhood we’re taught not to challenge and what really happens behind the closed doors of even the most perfect-looking families. It’s impossible to put down and impossible to forget.
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Disturbing but unputdownable!
The Push is a haunting portrait of motherhood’s dark recesses and back alleys. It begs the question, are monsters born, created, or an exacting combination of both. I highly recommend it for discerning book club readers who will undoubtedly have loads to discuss about this engrossing tale.
I’ve been excited to read this and was not disappointed. Blythe wants to be a good mother to her new baby Violet. She wants to be a better mother than her own had been. But something doesn’t feel right about Violet. Or is Blythe imagining it? Then fox and Blythe have their second child, a little boy named Sam. It seems as if things are different. And then they aren’t. This was an intense look at what Blythe experienced in her childhood and in her relationship with her husband Fox. And an emotional and sometimes painful look at her experience when she was pregnant and with her children after they were born. This will definitely stay with me for awhile.
Disturbing, but like a train wreck. Yo can’t look away.
I have been dying to read this debut novel by Ashley Audrain! Everywhere I turned it was all I was hearing about! I was having MAJOR FOMO!!! I knew I HAD to add it on in my @bookofthemonth box for February. Clearly by my rating, you can see it did NOT disappoint.
For me, Blythe was so relatable. I feel like she could be any woman. It angers me the stereotype that women have of being “emotional” and/or “crazy”. Sure, maybe we are, but WE get that. Am I right, ladies?
So I get Blythe. She comes from an abusive relationship with her mother. She worries that “will I be a good mom?” And honestly, we as woman worry about that CONSTANTLY! Then you have Fox. Why do men think they understand the pressure we already put ourselves under to be a good mother… and how dare they add to it?! Ugh!
A little back story about me, I am a survivor of an abusive relationship and I saw so many linear moments between Fox and Blythe. It scared me. I feel that reviews tend to focus on Violet, their daughter, but for me… it was the relationship between Fox and Blythe. Really hit home here!!
Besides all the turmoil I can honestly say, I’ve never had a book that made me hide. Literally, hide for a moment (if you have read this you know the moment I’m sure) and refuse to read what happened next. So heartbreaking!
The moment that I knew I had to rate this 5 stars was the ending. Wow! Just wow! Will we have another?! I have to know! I’m in if we do!! Bravo @ashleyaudrain If you haven’t read it yet… what are you waiting for?!
Good premise. But a little slow for my taste. But I think the author has great promise.
I have mixed feelings on this one.
I can see why this book would be a great book club choice as there is so many issues to debate and it was a definite page-turner. But at times I found it hard to keep the three generations straight and I really wanted more from the ending. I wanted vengeance for Blythe. Vengeance for Sam.
I will say, I don’t think I’ve ever read a child character that I despised so much. Violet was written perfectly and was a master of evoking feelings of fear and hopelessness.
I look forward to reading more from this author!
What an unexpectedly good book! I figured with all of the hype that it got, it would be one of those long yawns. Instead, it was an amazing psychological thriller that kept me engrossed, at least after the first part which was kind of slow paced. It was the story of a mother named Blythe who just could not get along with her daughter Violet, no matter how hard she tried. Since her husband Fox bonded with Violet from the beginning, he has no clue about Blythe’s challenges bonding with Violet and her desperate need to be accepted by her child. That desperation led Blythe to have a second child. Sam became the joy of Blythe’s life, until suddenly he wasn’t. I don’t want to spoil anything that happens because parts of this book are real nail biters. The drama is realistic, the characters are three dimensional and the back story of Blythe is amazingly well written. In fact, the way the book is written with insight into Blythe’s heritage and her current situation was nothing short of awesome! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for good psychological thrillers to read. And I want to urge the readers not to give up after the first chapter or so. The book gets better and it gets intense really fast!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book on my Kindle and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
This was an amazing listen in audio. The story was completely intriguing, addictive and I could bot stop listening. The story was fast paced with a lot of twists I enjoyed reading about. Truly fantastic and the ending blew my mind!
Read by Marin Ireland
Length: 8h 39m
Thank you @prhaudio for the gifted audio book. I reviewed this book voluntarily and my opinions are my own.
I was looking forward
This book struck me at my core with its portrayal of the darker sides of motherhood. Captivated me until the very last line. Masterful work.
So honestly I had no idea what I was going into with this book. I just kept hearing about it and how compelling it was too read. That is all true and I found myself one of those readers who could not put it down. The style of writing also intriqued me as the narrator had flashbacks to past events but also family history of grandmother and mother were included. There are some raw moments about mothering and there were also moments were my mind began comparing to “We Need to Talk About Kevin”. After finishing the story, I know now that it was best not to know much going in!
This one takes you right up to the end and leaves you gasping. I can honestly say this book had me questioning my own assessment skills wondering if I was reading the main character Blythe correctly or if my thinking was just way off kilter, THAT’s how good this book is. THE PUSH is Ashley’s first novel and she hit it out of the park with this one. This is one heck of a psychological thriller and I highly recommend it. You will be engrossed right up to the stunning ending.
Warning: This book is dark. It was almost too dark for me, and that’s saying a lot. The author does such a good job of putting the reader into the mind of Blythe that I actually felt the same confusion that she did……until the end of the book when everything becomes clear. Don’t pass this one up. A great read.
THE PUSH is a dark portrait of motherhood, following Blythe as she attempts to raise a daughter, Violet, to whom she feels little warmth or connection and who appears to be malicious and dangerous. When a family tragedy brings these issues to a head, Blythe’s relationships spin out of control, leaving her to grapple with trauma both old and new, all while struggling to keep hold of her sanity. I won’t sugarcoat it: this book is pretty devastating. But it’s a riveting page-turner too, with super short chapters that pull you from one scene to the next. It is at turns disturbing and heartbreaking and haunting and jaw-dropping and hopeful and mind-boggling, and it’s a fascinating, complex exploration of the legacy of motherhood. And then there’s the ending. It’s been almost twenty-four hours, but I’m still getting chills every time I think about it. It’s a stunner of a conclusion, one that seems to answer a central question of the book, but I love that Ashley Audrain still leaves room for ambiguity and interpretation. This is such a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
One of the best books I have read in a while. It brought out emotions I didn’t know I had. Very thought provoking. Left me wondering what I would do if I was in this mother’s shoes. Highly recommend.
This is the story of Blythe. Raised in a troubled household with a mother who left when Blythe was young, she is determined to be a better mother than the one she had. Even Blythe’s own mother had a terrible childhood, so Blythe is worried about the pattern continuing. When Violet is born, Blythe already knows something is wrong. She doesn’t feel a connection to her daughter like she thinks she should. And ask Violet grows and starts to have questionable behaviors that leave Blythe wondering if it is her or Violet that is the problem. When a second child is born, and tragedy strikes, Blythe is convinced that she was right all along about her daughter.
This was an interesting read. I listened to it with a free Audible credit I had. It was a choice in my Book of The Month club as well. It wasn’t a new story line, of course. Mother who doesn’t bond with her child/child might be evil. It has been done. And this one wasn’t particularly well written in my opinion. I kept waiting for me. For there to be more “incidents” or for the family to get help…..anything. Instead Blythe makes wishy washy decisions and doesn’t defend her thoughts or actions, and in the end……well the book just kind of ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. I shoudln’t say that. It wasn’t really a cliff hanger – you could see it coming. But you could tell the author wanted to add some shock value.
It was FINE. I am glad I didn’t waste my BOTM credit on this one, but it passed the time while I ran errands.
I loved the writing! The author’s syntax creates the tone beautifully!
It is possibly a trigger for some people, but well written and a page turner. A psychological deep dive.
I was totally entertained by this book. The characters are interesting, and the story moved along with a conversational writing style. It may be too dark for some readers, but it was a page-turner for me.