The Push is the heart-wrenching new book from Ashley Audrain, a gripping story about the expectations of motherhood and living in the shadows between the love and fear of being a mom.
Blythe Connor is haunted by the ghosts of her past, determined to hide from the memories of her own mother’s inadequacies but struggling to overcome the hurdles to make sure she is a different mother to her own daughter.
Motherhood doesn’t come easy to Blythe, and the way in which her early days with a demanding newborn are described brought back the very real feelings of being overwhelmed, tired, a little bit afraid and how totally out of my depth I first felt as a new mother too. While some moms will feel an instant resurfacing of these memories others who may not have felt this way at all are offered a very real glimpse behind this curtain. The raw emotion with which Audrain writes transported me right back to those days, leaving me gasping as the memories came flooding back and tears often welled in my eyes.
Violet is more than just a demanding child who doesn’t want to seek comfort from her mother, but Blythe’s fears that something is wrong with her daughter fall on deaf ears as her husband Fox believes she’s imagining it. As things escalate Blythe’s once idyllic marriage begins to take strain, but the rocky road finally seems a bit easier as things begin to calm down upon the birth of her second child. Sam is everything that Violet is not, giving her the chance to finally experience the feelings of maternal love and attachment to her child which she had so craved but had never felt with Violet.
But while Blythe is wrapped up in her bubble of love for Sam something dangerous is brewing with Violet, something so callous that will leave you shocked and terrified as to what a child can do.
The Push is an addictive psychological drama that will have you hooked right until the last page. Make sure you start it when you have enough time to finish it because you’re not going to want to put it down.
The Push is available for a recommended retail price of R285.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for sharing this book with me.
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