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erinreadstheworld 's review for:
The Push
by Ashley Audrain
The Push by Ashley Audrain was everywhere when it was published in January. It was probably the book with the most hype at the start of the year.
It's not quite a thriller. It's more of a psychological, family drama. It's a look into the dark side of motherhood and the endless, exhausting days of early babyhood seen through the eyes of someone who doesn't also see the positive moments.
I thought the book had similar vibes to We Need to Talk About Kevin. Not in the plot itself, but in the style of narration. We're only getting Blythe's perspective on motherhood and her thoughts on her daughter. Which to me raised a lot of questions. Is she a reliable narrator? Can her perceived lack of connection with her baby be blamed entirely on a baby who won't bond with her? Is a baby even capable of actively disliking her mother? Or is it her struggles with post-partum depression and family trauma? Is it nature or lack of nurture? Or is it something darker?
The story is unsettling in its subtle nuances and exploration on the hardest parts of motherhood. Blythe's absolute despair after sleepless nights and months and months of broken sleep is uncomfortably relatable. This is made particularly uncomfortable by the fact that she doesn't experience the myriad of joys that the early days of motherhood also contain. The hard days are meant to be worth it, right?
At times the book is a bit predictable, but I do find that most books that fit even loosely into the thriller genre do tend to follow certain patterns or tropes. In saying that though, it was a book I did not want to put down. I was absolutely gripped and read the book in a day. The pace was good, the character development of Blythe was central to the story, and you can feel Blythe's paranoia.
If you like complicated mother/daughter relationships or want a book you can't put down, The Push will satisfy those cravings.
It wasn't the best book I've ever read but I did enjoy it. It's a book that allows for lots of discussion and I wouldn't be surprised to see Reese Witherspoon turn it into a movie.
It's not quite a thriller. It's more of a psychological, family drama. It's a look into the dark side of motherhood and the endless, exhausting days of early babyhood seen through the eyes of someone who doesn't also see the positive moments.
I thought the book had similar vibes to We Need to Talk About Kevin. Not in the plot itself, but in the style of narration. We're only getting Blythe's perspective on motherhood and her thoughts on her daughter. Which to me raised a lot of questions. Is she a reliable narrator? Can her perceived lack of connection with her baby be blamed entirely on a baby who won't bond with her? Is a baby even capable of actively disliking her mother? Or is it her struggles with post-partum depression and family trauma? Is it nature or lack of nurture? Or is it something darker?
The story is unsettling in its subtle nuances and exploration on the hardest parts of motherhood. Blythe's absolute despair after sleepless nights and months and months of broken sleep is uncomfortably relatable. This is made particularly uncomfortable by the fact that she doesn't experience the myriad of joys that the early days of motherhood also contain. The hard days are meant to be worth it, right?
At times the book is a bit predictable, but I do find that most books that fit even loosely into the thriller genre do tend to follow certain patterns or tropes. In saying that though, it was a book I did not want to put down. I was absolutely gripped and read the book in a day. The pace was good, the character development of Blythe was central to the story, and you can feel Blythe's paranoia.
If you like complicated mother/daughter relationships or want a book you can't put down, The Push will satisfy those cravings.
It wasn't the best book I've ever read but I did enjoy it. It's a book that allows for lots of discussion and I wouldn't be surprised to see Reese Witherspoon turn it into a movie.