THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain

THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain **** - One of the most unsettling novels I’ve read this year (or last year, at that), The Push is a fast-paced page-turning psychological thriller, with turns, and heart-stopping twists. This novel follows the life of a mother, Blythe, as she realizes that her daughter Violet is not the child she’s always wanted to have. Chronicling not only Blythe’s journey through motherhood, but her mother’s life, and her grandmother’s life - this story weaves through the generational trauma of manipulation, neglect, and abuse. As you race your way to the end of this novel, you begin to wonder whether Blythe is telling the truth, or - as everyone else in her life believes - she is manipulating the facts.

This novel gave me chills that no other thriller has given me before for several reasons. It embodied several of my deepest fears - nobody believing you, your child being violent, problematic, or downright evil, adultery, divorce, and the inevitable slow slip into insanity. I enjoy most family sagas, especially multi-generational stories, however, I’ve never read a multi-generational thriller before now. This was game-changing. It was eerie how, as a reader, you could connect the dots in the family line and see where the faults and unreliability of the narrator come into play. As a woman, you find yourself relating to and sympathizing with the narrator, although she is certainly not a lovable character. I read this short novel in just two days, utterly immersed, and with a whole host of new fears in my head.

What I loved: It may be an unpopular opinion with this particular novel, but personally, I loved the writing style and flow of the prose. As with most thrillers, the chapters were short and definitely left you on a cliffhanger at the end of every five pages or so. For me, this was a welcome break from most of my slow-paced historical fiction novels that drag for the first two-thirds. On a personal level, I really enjoyed reading a novel that clearly dealt with intrusive thoughts and mental health that I could truly relate to. My worst fear has always been that I’m really seriously worried about something, and yet those I love continue to believe I’m simply going crazy. Although it was unsettling to read about, it also confirmed that I’m not the only one with this fear. Lastly, the multi-generational theme of this novel is one I would relish in any story, but especially with a thriller. The motif of motherhood, of neglect, of dysfunction, really kept me engaged and heartily committed.

What I didn’t love: this novel was dangerously close to a five-star read, and I’ll tell you the only reason it missed the mark: the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t that I had predicted the ending at all (and I won’t give any spoilers here), I just felt like I deserved a slightly more satisfying clinch at the end that really sewed it all together. It wasn’t the worst ending in the world, but my standards are high for the last chapters in thrillers. Let me know how you liked the ending (and if you expect a sequel!)