A Book A Week

I have a habit of rushing to buy the book everyone is reading and buzzing about, then ignoring it for so long that the hype has completely died down. The latest casualty of that practice is Ashley Audrain's celebrated debut novel The Push. I first featured the psychological drama on a stack of 10 other books that I planned to read way back in February of 2021. My bookstagram post featuring the title showed my youngest dog Murphy as a small puppy sitting next to the stack that was nearly as tall as he was. Since then, I've read almost 100 titles, and Murphy has grown to easily tower over that stack of books. I decided that enough time had passed and the overwhelming hype had died down enough for me to finally give The Push a read. 

Generational trauma casts a dark shadow over Blythe as she gives birth to her first child. Her daughter Violet represents a chance to right the wrongs of her family history, to finally give a child a loving home with an attentive mother. Blythe is, of course, apprehensive. What first-time mother wouldn't be? As she enters motherhood and watches Violet begin to grow, Blythe's worst fears seem to be coming alive before her very eyes. There is no real connection between the mother and daughter. Try as she might, Blythe just can't seem to make her daughter love her. Her husband is convinced there is nothing out of the ordinary about Violet. After all, the girl is affectionate and hangs on her father's every word. Still, Blythe can't shake the feeling that something is off. 

Then comes another shot to get everything right. And right it is. The birth of her son Sam is everything Blythe hoped for with Violet. There is an instant bond between mother and son, the kind that still evades Blythe's relationship with her daughter. This is the motherly bliss she was craving. Even Violet seems to have taken a liking to the bubbly newborn, showing rare signs of affection for the boy. Alas, this euphoria will be short-lived. Sudden tragedy strikes the family, thrusting all of Blythe's worst fears and suspicions to the forefront. Blythe will face the truth, even if that means reliving the very traumas that she has fought so hard to avoid. 

Opening the very first pages of The Push, it was easy to see why so many people have fallen under its spell. Ashley Audrain has written a novel that is compulsively readable. I started reading it right before bed, read for more hours than I intended, and finished the entire thing before I went to bed the next night. The main plotline of the book sees a mother reflecting on the events that have brought her to be an outsider in her own family. Audrain weaves themes of psychological trauma, motherhood, and the age-old question of nature vs. nurture into a drama that packs a real punch. The subject matter is dark and twisted, and I could see this being a deterrent to some readers. Still, based on how many glowing reviews I've read, it seems most readers are more compelled than concerned. I felt that the momentum of the novel started to lose steam a bit toward the end, especially as I started to see the main plot and flashbacks start to reveal glimmers of the ending. That being said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think The Push was a solid read. It won't be my favorite book of the year, but I can certainly understand why so many other readers have loved it. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 39)