by Ashley Audrain
SYNOPSIS 'The women in this family, we're different . . .'
Blythe Connor doesn't want history to repeat itself.
Violet is her first child and she will give her daughter all the love she deserves. All the love that her own mother withheld.
But firstborns are never easy. And Violet is demanding and fretful. She never smiles. Soon Blythe believes she can do no right - that something's very wrong. Either with her daughter, or herself.
Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining it. But Violet's different with him. And he can't understand what Blythe suffered as a child. No one can.
Blythe wants to be a good mother. But what if that's not enough for Violet? Or her marriage? What if she can't see the darkness coming?
Mother and daughter. Angel or monster?
We don't get to choose our inheritance - or who we are . . .
The Push is an addictive, gripping and compulsive read that asks what happens when women are not believed - and what if motherhood isn't everything you hoped for but everything you always feared?
REVIEW Blythe Connor had a dysfunctional and unhappy childhood. Her relationship with her mother was almost non-existent and tainted her view of what motherhood should be like. As a result she struggled to cope with the reality of becoming a mother, even before finding out that she was pregnant, and consequently having a very difficult time bonding with Violet, her newborn daughter.
As Violet grows up, Blythe becomes increasingly concerned with some aspects of her behaviour. However, these fears are dismissed by her husband Fox, who has the perfect father-daughter relationship with Violet and blames Blythe for any issues they are having.
After the birth of their son, things start to look more positive and the whole family dynamic begins to improve. Unfortunately, their happiness is short-lived, after a devastating turn of events turns their whole world upside down.
The Push is an unsettling insight into the dark side of motherhood. It also touches on how the relationships we have with our own mothers or families, can have a lasting impact on the future bonds we have with our children. The story does go to some very dark places, and at times is an uncomfortable read, but it is completely addictive and absorbing at the same time.
The nature vs nurture argument is a key feature of the story, and the way in which it was written had me second-guessing my own opinions on what was happening throughout the whole book. The Push was compelling, intense and very cleverly written. I don't remember the last time I doubted my own judgement so much when reading a book, I honestly had no idea what the final outcome would be.
A stunning debut, The Push is the perfect choice for fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin, Leila Slimani's Lullaby and Melanie Golding's Little Darlings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ashley Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Prior to Penguin, she worked in public relations. She is a graduate of the Media, Information & Technoculture program at Western University. She lives in Toronto, where she and her partner are raising their two young children. The Push is her first novel.
Thanks to @MichaelJBooks, @Livvii and @audrain for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Psychological Thriller / Motherhood
Product format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-0241434550
Pages: 320 pp
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