Scan barcode
A review by clarahooyer
The Push by Ashley Audrain
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really, really liked it, but was a little offput by the pacing. The book starts off making me think every problem is the result of the main character being a bad mother. Eventually I started to realize the book meant for the child to be evil. It felt like the book changed halfway through from being a story about generational abuse, to a story about an all out evil child that the mother can't be blamed for. It was very thought provoking( which I like), but I was left wondering how the author intended me to interpret the story. I think that, as a book about abuses cycles, it is almost too extreme in its evolution. However, if viewed as a book about an evil child, than it properly explores all the environmental factors that cause the child to become the way she is. Definitely a book I will be thinking about for a while.
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, and Abandonment