The Push by Ashley Audrain is a popular, psychological thriller I have seen everywhere; entertainment news, bookstagram, and the "must-read" section in book stores galore. The Instagram book community continues to grow where hyped and trending novels are read and reviewed by so many other active readers like myself. This genre is one of my favorites to escape to and I finished this story so quickly! It was fast-paced, heart-breaking, and gripping from the first page. This book is about a woman named Blythe Connor who is entering motherhood for the first time with her husband, Fox. They welcome a beautiful daughter, Violet, into the world. Blythe is confident that she will be a warm, loving mother to Violet and that they will be the perfect family until Blythe starts to become suspicious and convinced that something is wrong with her firstborn child. Violet's behavior makes Blythe believe that her daughter is not like other children. This creates child neglect and tension in the mother and daughter's relationship.
There are sensitive topics this book touches on such as depression, child neglect, and death. Some parts were hard to read because of how specific the storytelling is and the intense situation(s) that happened, but the way it is told is captivating. It made me not want to put the book down, a feeling I have not had in a long time! The story is written from Blythe's perspective addressing Fox on her side of the story is from what happened and why everything occurred the way it did. I enjoyed this style of writing because it made me feel like I was Blythe living in her story, understanding and questioning everything that took place. After each chapter, I was not sure what would happen next, the sequence of events became a guessing game for me as I came up with different theories, a common experience for this type of genre/book.
Audrain's writing is gentle, simple, and the story is told in such delicate prose. It is an easy read with 300 tense, turning pages. There are really quick chapters too, a good amount of them that consists of, at least, two-six pages at a time. I also enjoyed the different time settings it included that touched on Blythe's childhood and relationship with her mother, Cecilia, as well as even further back to Cecilia's upbringing with her mother, Etta. I liked that Audrain included each generation for the reader to understand where Blythe comes from and to connect with her personally. This also gives the reader a chance to analyze the similarities and differences between the mothers; how they live and how they act as mothers for example.
Those who enjoy this genre and interesting details about motherhood will enjoy this book. I am not a mother but whether you are one or not, the reader will still be touched with thoughts and emotions anyone can relate to.
Rating: 5 stars
Enjoy and happy reading!
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