I was a little reluctant to read this book because of the subject matter, but it really blew me away. This is not so much a thriller as it is a meditation on motherhood and how generations of people are haunted and harmed when domestic cruelty goes excused. Audrain's writing is direct, insightful and striking. She does not overtly tell the reader how to interpret her themes, but makes it impossible not to empathize with and understand  Blythe's decisions, fears, and grief. Even though many of the events in this book were harrowing, I stayed glued to the pages and deeply engaged in Blythe's life. The formatting of this novel, where Blythe's husband is referred to as "you", added an intimacy to the story that I had never experienced before. I was left thinking about the meaningful rage of this book for days afterwards, and will probably read it again so I can dwell on themes I missed the first time.

I would highly recommend The Push to others, especially those interested in child development and motherhood. Audrain excellently presents a mother who is flawed and feels antagonized by her child without resorting to excusing abusive behavior as some stories critiquing motherhood unfortunately do. Instead Audrain's work displays the reality of generational abuse, how it burrows into people who will never know their family's originally terrorizer, littering hurt and distance even through relationships where those involved are aiming not to make their parents' mistakes. This is an honest, gutting look at an intimate violence that when neglected, affects our society as a whole.