The Push – Ashley Audrain
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Can Blythe Connor overcome the damage caused by the actions of uncaring mothers in her family to become a warm and generous caregiver to her two children? Determined to fight for it, persistent doubt and extreme circumstances make her believe she’ll repeat the cycle.
Expectation: A page-turning thriller about family secrets, potentially evil children and a mother trying to keep it all together.
Reality: A slower-burn domestic drama that borrows a lot of familiar tropes but keeps you entertained with sharp writing.
Recommended For: People that can’t pass up the buzzed about book of the moment.
Why I Read It: #Bookstagram made me do it.
My Take:
Overall I liked “The Push” more than I hated it, and you’re better off going in not knowing more than what you learn from the blurb, but do know this: the book is severely mis-marketed as a thriller.
Yes, there are thrilling elements, but to me a thriller is about building imbalance while throwing twists at the reader. Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and “Dark Places” remain the pinnacles of this genre.
“The Push” is more akin to A.S.A. Harrison’s “The Silent Wife” and Greer Hendricks’ “The Wife Between Us” with some Zoje Stage’s “Baby Teeth” throw in. Each of those stories has moments that accelerate the pulse, but I’d like to meet a person who also wasn’t somewhat bored by the domestic dullness of about 50 percent of those stories.
This is a page turner simply because you keep turning the page hoping there’s a massive twist waiting for you, but alas, the story simmers and only boils occasionally.
Audrain is a talented writer that keeps the pace moving and builds a strong, well-formed character in Blythe, which makes it easier to overlook some of the novel’s shortcomings — mainly the genre tropes of [mild spoilers ahead] unreliable, possibly mentally ill narrator, philandering husband and wealth and privilege as an excuse to be horrible.
It’s really a story in three-parts, which also made it feel a little unfocused at times, but Blythe keeps it anchored as our anti-hero. I like that Audrain kept her in that role throughout, which makes the story seem more true-to-life for a person faced with the circumstances she does.
Part I: Struggling with Early Motherhood
The good: Solid character building with Blythe; rich and descriptive writing of life with a newborn.
The bad: Low on originality. Blythe can’t connect with her daughter, Violet, her husband, Fox, is distant and clueless, and she slowly starts to unravel instead of anyone mentioning she might have post-partum depression. We also get backstories about Blythe’s grandmother and mother, which were just not interesting and didn’t add much to the story.
Part II: Concern the Child Might Be Evil
The good: Subtle clues that Blythe’s concerns about Violet may not be unfounded. The introduction of another child, Sam, that awakens a different side of Blythe’s maternal instinct.
The bad: Fox is a stock character that you could insert into any one of these novels.
Part III: Rebuilding and Vindication
The good: This is where Audrain starts to flip the script on what you expect. I was truly surprised by some elements — again, all slow burn — including a death and friendship. It, once again, added new depth of Blythe’s character which helped keep you invested in the story.
The bad: The long road to the satisfying last line of the book felt a little cheap and anticlimactic.
All told, I’m not sure who would like “The Push.” The gay men on Instagram and Goodreads seem to enjoy it more than women and mothers so that should give you some inkling as to how Blythe ends up.
From a narration standpoint, it’s another solid effort by Marin Ireland — my audiobook all-star. Although she can really elevate about anything, this is far from her best effort.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: May 19 - 23, 2021
Multi-tasking: Good to go. Mostly cleaned and did yardwork while listening.
