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A review by diannastarr
The Push by Ashley Audrain
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Well, would you look at that? Yet another review about generational trauma and the many facets of womanhood by yours truly. Surprise, surprise.
Ironically enough, I found this book recommendation on Pinterest and, as it was available at my library, I decided to give it a try. I didn't anticipate reading it all in one night, but I was visiting my family and the WiFi was out so I cracked it open to pass the time. The premise was a stunning one and centralized on the idea of nature versus nurture, whether a child is molded by the world around them or if they are simply born and set in their ways. Audrain's piece revolves around the narrow point of view of Blythe: a woman who suspects that her own daughter is capable of great harm and malicious intent. The Push focuses on the devolution of Blythe's picture perfect nuclear family, how she was born to a family shaped by the facades of American idealism and fought desperately to replicate it for herself. It is one of those pieces that keeps you on your toes, a piece that makes you question whether Blythe is a woman struggling with postpartum depression or if her apprehension towards her own daughter is valid. While I wouldn't categorize this as a psychological thriller, it was certainly a tense piece and had me questioning the daughter and Blythe's true intensions until the very last page.
As much as I wanted to rate this higher, my only critique is that Audrain's writing style was a bit too direct for my taste and the way that the premise was handled was a bit too "on the nose" for my liking. I relished in Blythe's turmoil, however at times it felt like Blythe was the reader's vessel as a stylistic clutch, almost to a point where it felt as if the characters around her were the manifestations of lost potential, white sheets, voids, blank slates to pour oneself into to fill in the gaps. I wanted to see more from Blythe, to get a better feel for her husband but they were a mod podge of tropes and suburban stereotypes for the readers to attach parts of their own lives to as opposed to being written as well rounded and human. A part of me wonders if that was Audrain's point all along, but I digress.
Additionally, there is no doubt in any reader's mind that Blythe is a deeply flawed woman and a struggling mother who desperately needed the support that she did not receive. While the flashbacks operated as a window into why Blythe is the way that she is - which is valuable in its own regard, we cannot forget that we are poised with the question: what makes a monster? Is it born or created? In some novels, insight into the generational behaviors that shape its characters are beneficial. In this case, when we take into consideration the ending, this additional lens circumvents and almost contradicts Audrain's conclusion. I want to believe that Blythe and Violet are foils of one another: Blythe a product of nurture and Violet a product of nature, but the means by which this was established in the piece was weak and almost contradictory. I do believe that the dynamic between Blythe and her daughter: Violet was handled tactfully and it was a marvel to sit back and watch both women grow and evolve - for better and for worse.
Ironically enough, I found this book recommendation on Pinterest and, as it was available at my library, I decided to give it a try. I didn't anticipate reading it all in one night, but I was visiting my family and the WiFi was out so I cracked it open to pass the time. The premise was a stunning one and centralized on the idea of nature versus nurture, whether a child is molded by the world around them or if they are simply born and set in their ways. Audrain's piece revolves around the narrow point of view of Blythe: a woman who suspects that her own daughter is capable of great harm and malicious intent. The Push focuses on the devolution of Blythe's picture perfect nuclear family, how she was born to a family shaped by the facades of American idealism and fought desperately to replicate it for herself. It is one of those pieces that keeps you on your toes, a piece that makes you question whether Blythe is a woman struggling with postpartum depression or if her apprehension towards her own daughter is valid. While I wouldn't categorize this as a psychological thriller, it was certainly a tense piece and had me questioning the daughter and Blythe's true intensions until the very last page.
As much as I wanted to rate this higher, my only critique is that Audrain's writing style was a bit too direct for my taste and the way that the premise was handled was a bit too "on the nose" for my liking. I relished in Blythe's turmoil, however at times it felt like Blythe was the reader's vessel as a stylistic clutch, almost to a point where it felt as if the characters around her were the manifestations of lost potential, white sheets, voids, blank slates to pour oneself into to fill in the gaps. I wanted to see more from Blythe, to get a better feel for her husband but they were a mod podge of tropes and suburban stereotypes for the readers to attach parts of their own lives to as opposed to being written as well rounded and human. A part of me wonders if that was Audrain's point all along, but I digress.
Additionally, there is no doubt in any reader's mind that Blythe is a deeply flawed woman and a struggling mother who desperately needed the support that she did not receive. While the flashbacks operated as a window into why Blythe is the way that she is - which is valuable in its own regard, we cannot forget that we are poised with the question: what makes a monster? Is it born or created? In some novels, insight into the generational behaviors that shape its characters are beneficial. In this case, when we take into consideration the ending, this additional lens circumvents and almost contradicts Audrain's conclusion. I want to believe that Blythe and Violet are foils of one another: Blythe a product of nurture and Violet a product of nature, but the means by which this was established in the piece was weak and almost contradictory. I do believe that the dynamic between Blythe and her daughter: Violet was handled tactfully and it was a marvel to sit back and watch both women grow and evolve - for better and for worse.