SYNOPSIS
'I think she pushed him,' I said to you quietly. 'I think she pushed him . . .'
The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life. But as soon as I held her in my arms I knew something wasn't right.
I had always known that the women in my family aren't meant to be mothers.
My husband Fox says I'm imagining it. He tells me I'm nothing like my own mother, and that Violet is the sweetest child.
But she's different with me. Something feels very wrong.
Is it her? Or is it me? Is she the monster? Or am I?
Title: The push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Publication date: January 7, 2021
REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐💫
"A mother's heart break a million ways in her lifetime"
Gut wrenching. Disturbing. Disheartening. Unsettling.
The Push is a story about motherhood, motherhood expectations (what society tells you and expects of you vs. the harsh reality) and the old as time debate of nature vs.nurture, and how a baby impacts the parents' life and viceversa while trying not to repeat the mistakes of past generations.
I gotta say that I liked it but didn't love it as much as everyone else seems to do. First of all, this was mainly marketed as a psychological thriller and I don't think that's accurate. It's a really well written powerful psychological drama. The thriller elements are so few and far in between that if you come expecting a nail biting story you will be disappointed.
The main timeline covers over 14 years and that, together with a second person narrative and really short chapters, made a bit difficult to go in depth over certain aspects. I, for once, would have loved to see a bit more of Violet.
I found it a bit hard to empathize with Blythe because of her inactivity. Her pain was so raw and tangible you could feel it, and it was absolutely heartbreaking, so her lack of action was even more maddening. It felt like she let herself be railroaded by those around her just for fear of what everyone else would think of her if she verbalized her feelings for her daughter (thanks, society!).
The ending was a bit predictable and very abrupt, but that abruptness added a final note of tension to the story.
I wonder if my absolute lack of paternal instinct may have influenced my level of enjoyment of this story 😅. I recently read another book with a very complicated mother/daughter relationship, so maybe I should have waited a little bit to go into this one.
This debut shows a lot of promise so despite my issues with this one I will definitely be back for the author's next novel.
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