The Push
Fiction
Pamela Dorman Books
January 5, 2021
Hardcover
320
Purchased
A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family–and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.
Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.
But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.
Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.
Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.
The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.
My review:
What an excellent psychological thriller! Just a word of warning, this is a very dark novel (think My Dark Vanessa....dark, but without the teacher/student abuse aspect). This is an exploration of the nature vs. nurture act of motherhood. Can you be a good mother if your own mother and grandmother were not? The story is told from the perspective of Blythe, who comes from an abusive mother and grandmother. We go back in time in some chapters to explore these women and their effect on Blythe growing up. Once Blythe becomes a Mom, she tries to shed these memories in order to be the perfect mom to her daughter Violet. What she doesn't expect is that despite her efforts, Violet appears to be a troubled child. What follows is more the study of a marriage and what happens when Blythe's husband dismisses the perceived problem as being psychological, relating to Blythe's upbringing. When a second "perfect" child arrives, Blythe feels vindicated in her suspicions, and then tragedy strikes, a tragedy from which the family unit will never recover! The writing in this book was succinct and flowed well. I've read other reviews stating that the flashbacks to the mother and grandmother disrupted the flow, but I have to disagree, I thought they added the perfect amount of background and information to the developing story. The ending was amazing! Very powerful and memorable.
This was a perfect DARK psychological thriller. Do not attempt if you have any issues with child abuse (in its many forms) or loss of a child. Great writing and a fantastic ending make this one to put on your list!
