Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Push by Ashley Audrain

44 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What. The. Fuck. This book is so twisted and terrifying. I can’t imagine being so scared of a child in real life but this child is … I just don’t have words. I haven’t ever read a book like this. It’s a psychological thriller and is full of the most heinous acts committed by a kid with no remorse. The bigger horror would have to be being the one who brought that child into the world and having no one believe how psychotic your kid is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

spokensilence9's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Abandonment

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Physical abuse

caregorman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

NEVER having a child 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Abortion

_federica_'s review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Idk I can’t really say I enjoyed reading this book. Even though the synopsis was really intriguing to me, the book didn’t live up to my expectations. It felt kind of forced and a little exaggerated at times, but I liked how the book focuses on the psychological aspects of the main characters. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent

wocthehell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Excellent exploration of inter-generational trauma, child favoritism, and postpartum depression. Tasteless ending and "revelation" at the end

the daughter turns out to be a murderer all along

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Gaslighting

sylvestra's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Dementia

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Push is wonderfully written and pulled me in immediately. The novel follows Blythe and her struggles
to find happiness with a daughter she can’t connect with and that begins to show concerning signs of violence towards others. Going further into this alternate look at motherhood, the book has chapters that delve into Blythe’s own childhood and that of her mother’s, showing a pattern of reluctant mothers. 

This novel was emotional, terrifying, and addicting. Blythe’s husband is infuriating and refuses to listen to Blythe’s concerns about her daughter leading to many tragedies. This is marketed as a thriller but I feel it also has some horror elements as well. Creepy kids are always scary to me and The Push has one of the scariest kids I’ve seen. It reminded me a lot of the novel  We Need to Talk About Kevin, and it had some similar themes. I highly recommend checking this one out!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

lkelly36's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, and Abortion

linesiunderline's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Sometimes you read a book and it is very hard to land on how you feel about it. The Push is one of those books for me. It’s entirely likely my star rating will shift around the more I think about the book as time passes.

What worked:
• It’s compulsively readable. This is a book everyone says you will read in one gulp, and it is. So if you are after that kind of propulsive experience, this will do it for you.
• Audrain is a strong writer. Her prose is sharp and clear and there’s an economy to it that is satisfying.
• There are several genuinely goosebump inspiring scenes - truly creepy. I could see this translating to film or TV (and I imagine it will).
• The feeling of dread and claustrophobia is palpable. I kept thinking about The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, another book that is deeply unsettling and so hard to put down.

Howevers
• I am uncertain about what the author is trying to say. Is it that generational trauma will continue to disrupt lives unless someone is brave enough to see it and name it and initiate a process of healing? Is it that difficult, troubled children exist and that no one wants to see that even when it’s right in front of them? Is it that we need to listen to mothers, and realize that there are many ways to experience and be a mother? I feel like I was reaching for meaning and not sure if I landed where I was intended to. 
• I can’t decide if this is simply another thriller that sensationalizes a difficult female experience. Some reviews have said it shines light on difficult topics around motherhood and mental health, but I’m not sure it leaves us in a greater place of understanding or helps to break down existing stereotypes. 
• The ending definitely felt gimmicky, like the author / editor decided it would be a gasp-worthy conclusion so why not go for it.

So there you have it. One thing I can say with certainty is that this is a book you want to talk about. It’s ideal for bookclubs. And I will want to read more by the author. 

See below for a million content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident

mollyrose's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder