Title: The Push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Published on the 5th of this month, I was unsure what I was getting myself in for. New books aren’t usually my forte as I try and read things I’ve missed out on over the years, but given this as a gift from my mother, I knew that I needed to get over the new book thing. Boy, am I glad I did that! The Push had me at the edge of the seat at every page turn and my goodness, it gripped me in a way no book has ever done before.
I remember on the night I’d read it, I’d stayed up until half 5 in the morning reading, but somewhere in between I sent one of my best friends the following text:
Have you ever read a book that has felt like it’s consumed you whole? Because it’s how I feel about The Push. It’s so uncomfortable but I can’t put it down.
03:28am.
I’d originally approached this book as a candid commentary on the fraught relationships between grandmothers, mothers, and their daughters and while this is still a common theme in the novel, I was mostly proven wrong. The Push explores mental illness and the way it ravages the family home and an individual’s sense of self with little to no warning. It tackles the complexities of motherhood and all the unsaid feelings we all harbour but fear speaking aloud lest we become the ‘hysterical woman’. Most importantly, it tackles the discomfort (and common) experience of being the woman who isn’t believed.
The Push does what it says in the title. It pushes the limits. It pushes our understandings. It pushes away everything we thought to be true. The Push pushes our psyches to challenge all that we ever believed.
Audrain has proven herself to be an incredible storyteller with seamless, psychological debut and I cannot wait to read more by her! I leave you now with the single line from the blurb that had me putty in the writer’s hands.
Is she the monster? Or am I?
The Push.