(68)The Push by Ashley Audrain

Sunday, October 23, 2022

 


Blythe Connor and her husband, Fox, are excited and nervous about their first child being born. Blythe wants to be the amazing mother she never had. But having a new baby is exhausting and demanding. And she never connects with Violet the way she thinks mothers should. And as Violet gets older, Blythe notices behaviors, unlike other children. Cruel behavior. Violet often lacks emotion and empathy. Fox doesn't see it and thinks that it is all in Blythe's head. When their son, Sam is born, Blythe has the connection that she wanted with Violet but never got. Blythe always had unvoiced concern about Violet's acceptance of Sam, but she seems to be the doting big sister. Until the day she changes her mind about Sam. And a horrible tragedy occurs. Was it an accident or has Blythe's concerns about Violet come to fruition?


I had no idea how good The Push was going to be. It is one of those subtle thrillers that starts out slow and just builds into a jaw-dropping conclusion. Blythe and Fox's relationship was pretty typical. Girl meets boy. Girl and Boy get married. Girl and Boy have a baby.  Because the book starts in the future and flashes back, I thought the timeline was shorter, but really, all of this happens over decades. I wasn't sure how to feel about Blythe. Was she right about Violet or was she a horrible mother? I also didn't know how to feel about Fox. Was HE right about Violet or was he a horrible husband? It is also hard to know what to believe about "the push." The author does an amazing job of creating doubt in her readers. It creates disbelief in the reader, not the narrator. You can't say Blythe is an unreliable narrator because she is consistent throughout the whole book. You just don't want to believe her. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - The Push is easily one of the best thrillers of the year. The writing is masterful and the ending will leave you wanting more. 

Details:

Latest Instagrams

© Charlotte's Web of Books. Design by FCD.