The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

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Published
Penguin Publishing Group , 2021.
Status
Checked Out

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Libby/OverDrive
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Description

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | A New York Times bestseller! “Utterly addictive.” —Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train “Hooks you from the very first page and will have you racing to get to the end.”—Good Morning America A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family—and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for—and everything she fearedAshley Audrain's second novel, The Whispers, is forthcoming in June 2023Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she doesn't behave like most children do.Or is it all in Blythe's head? Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.Then their son Sam is born—and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.For fans of Verity and We Need to talk about Kevin, The The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

More Details

Format
eBook, Kindle
Street Date
01/05/2021
Language
English
ISBN
9781984881670

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Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; the subjects "mothers and daughters," "motherhood," and "family secrets"; and characters that are "complex characters."
In these heart-wrenching psychological novels, mothers are pushed to the brink of despair as they balance responsibilities in their families while burdened by past sexual assault (This Little Family) and bad seed paranoia (The Push). -- Andrienne Cruz
Though The Push is psychological suspense and With Teeth is domestic fiction, both of these tense, thought-provoking novels explore what happens when a parent suspects that their child's behavior goes beyond typical acting out and into truly terrifying territory. -- Halle Carlson
In these disturbing, intricately plotted psychological thrillers, characters begin to suspect that their daughter (The Push) or nephew (A Flaw in the Design) is more sinister than they seem. -- CJ Connor
These compelling novels of psychological fiction explore the uncertainty and isolation of motherhood and the concept of nature versus nurture. In both, mothers reeling from tragedies consider the role they have played in rearing bad seeds. -- Catherine Coles
In these unsettling psychological suspense novels, parents question the potentially vile actions of their offspring. The father in Defending Jacob is convinced of his son's innocence; the mother in The Push is far less assured about her daughter's blamelessness. -- Halle Carlson
Dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships are at the center of these nonlinear and compelling stories. Throughout these psychological and heart-wrenching books each family slowly unravels bits of the past that influence and explain their lives today. -- Jennie Stevens
In these nonlinear tales, painful childhoods take center stage in compelling stories that dissect complex mother/daughter relationships and cycles of abuse. -- Andrienne Cruz
Motherhood takes a toll on these harried women, affecting their marriage and their mental health in these tense psychological fiction novels. Postpartum depression (The Unprotected) and bad seed vibes (The Push) further complicate the already fragile situation. -- Andrienne Cruz
These psychological suspense novels tackle the anxiety of mothers who fear that something is wrong with their young daughters, leading them to suspect something sinister is afoot. -- Andrienne Cruz
Both intricately plotted thrillers examine contemporary motherhood through the relationship between a flawed woman and her young daughter. The Push offers a nonlinear storyline; The First Day of Spring unfolds from the past and present perspectives of its protagonist. -- Kaitlin Conner
In these twisted psychological suspense novels, mothers suspect their young daughters of disturbing, dangerous behavior -- but is it all in their heads? -- Shauna Griffin

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Though Gillian Flynn's novels tend to be more violent than Ashley Audrain's, both authors write intricately plotted psychological suspense novels with an underlying feeling of dread and tension that drives their narratives. Their stories often center on the complicated (and sometimes ambivalent) emotions people have towards their loved ones. -- Halle Carlson
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense, stylistically complex, and nonlinear, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters" and "sisters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors suspenseful, emotionally intense, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "psychological suspense."
These authors' works have the appeal factors stylistically complex and nonlinear, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "grief," "mothers and sons," and "memories."
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense and unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; the subjects "motherhood," "mothers and daughters," and "family relationships"; and characters that are "complex characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors nonlinear and unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters," "women," and "grief."
These authors' works have the appeal factors suspenseful and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "canadian fiction"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters," "grief," and "sisters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense and unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters," "mental health," and "obsession."
These authors' works have the appeal factors unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters," "grief," and "fathers and daughters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors unreliable narrator, and they have the genres "psychological suspense" and "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "motherhood," "mothers and daughters," and "family relationships."
These authors' works have the appeal factors nonlinear and unreliable narrator, and they have the genre "psychological suspense"; and the subjects "mothers and daughters," "family relationships," and "family secrets."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting and nonlinear, and they have the subjects "motherhood," "mothers and daughters," and "grief."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Generations of conflicted mother-daughter relationships culminate with one unhappy woman and her possibly dangerous daughter in Canadian writer Audrain's unnerving, cannily structured debut. As the book opens, thirtysomething narrator Blythe stands outside the home of her ex-husband and his new wife, looking in at their life. Most of the novel is directed from her to him, giving her side of their shared story, while shorter vignettes look back at her childhood and at the lives of her disturbed mother and suicidal maternal grandmother. Feeling unloved by her mother, who left the family when Blythe was 11 and never looked back, Blythe fears having a daughter of her own. When she gives birth to Violet and is unable to bond with her, her fears multiply. While she fiercely loves the son born a few years later, her relationship with Violet remains fraught, and when a tragedy takes place, it cannot recover. Both an absorbing thriller and an intense, profound look at the heartbreaking ways motherhood can go wrong, this is sure to provoke discussion.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Growing up as the latest link in a long chain of toxic mother-daughter dyads, aspiring writer Blythe, the narrator of Audrain's emotionally devastating debut, has no desire for parenthood herself, until she falls for gentle, supportive Fox Connor, who can't imagine not having kids and convinces her otherwise. Daughter Violet's birth three years later starts the clock ticking toward the implosion of the couple's marriage. In the eyes of Fox, who is away most of the day at work, Violet's an angel; to exhausted and overwhelmed Blythe, there's something fundamentally wrong with the baby. Or is there? As Blythe worries over the years that Violet lacks normal feelings of empathy and affection, concerns that Fox keeps dismissing as only in her head, things continue to deteriorate until, desperate not to lose Fox, Blythe becomes pregnant again. Son Sam's arrival blindsides her: to her astonishment, she loves Sam ecstatically. A tragedy precipitated by seven-year-old Violet is by no means the end of the twisty, harrowing ride to the dark side of motherhood Audrain pilots so skillfully. This is a sterling addition to the burgeoning canon of bad seed suspense, from an arrestingly original new voice. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Library Journal Review

DEBUT Three generations of women deal with motherhood in this dark debut. Blythe's mother, Cecelia, left when she was 11 years old, and Blythe decides she shouldn't have children, as Cecelia wasn't a good role model. Their toxic relationship pales in comparison with Cecelia's relationship with her mother, Etta. Fox, Blythe's gentle husband of three years, persuades her that it is time to have a baby. But Blythe can't connect with their daughter, Violet, although Fox is immediately enamored. As Blythe sinks into depression, Fox is convinced that she just doesn't love the baby enough. Blythe sees behavioral issues in Violet that increase as the girl starts school, but Fox turns a blind eye. Then Blythe has a son, Sam, and her maternal feelings for him are real and deep. Things still aren't good with Violet, though, or with the marriage, and a tragic accident causes Blythe and Fox's relationship to implode. This is not your typical tale of motherhood, and the superlative writing results in a gripping, unforgettable story. VERDICT For readers who enjoyed the darkness of Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister, the Serial Killer, Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen, or Joyce Carol Oates's Jack of Spades.--Stacy Alesi, Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Lib., Lynn Univ., Boca Raton, FL

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

A finely wrought psychological study of motherhood and inherited trauma. Blythe stands outside, watching a perfect family as they move through the small joys of their Christmas Eve preparations. She has come to deliver her written story, one that occasionally includes flashbacks to her mother's and grandmother's lives, so that she may explain to this family--her former husband, his second wife, their child, and, most of all, Blythe's own daughter--what went wrong. The book that unfolds is this novel, and while it begins with a college meet-cute between Blythe and Fox, it truly begins with the story of Etta, who "tried very hard to be the woman she was expected to be" but battled depression that eventually led to suicide, and her daughter, Cecilia, who left altogether when Blythe was 11. Interweaving memories of her life with Fox and their daughter, Violet, with the memories and voices of these two women is meant to establish a pattern: Because she comes from a line of struggling mothers, Blythe herself could only expect to struggle as a mother, and struggle she does. Violet is a difficult baby who becomes a troubled child, but Fox sees little evidence of her problems and blames Blythe for not loving her enough. When they have a son who dies in infancy, in a terrible accident, their marriage falls apart. Blythe continues to worry for, and even fear, Violet, and then her loneliness drives her to befriend Fox's new wife. Her delivery of the pages of her story on that frosty Christmas Eve is meant as both repentance and warning; she fears that Gemma and Fox's son could be in danger from Violet. A novel written for and about mothers but not for the faint of heart; it offers no easy answers. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

Generations of conflicted mother-daughter relationships culminate with one unhappy woman and her possibly dangerous daughter in Canadian writer Audrain's unnerving, cannily structured debut. As the book opens, thirtysomething narrator Blythe stands outside the home of her ex-husband and his new wife, looking in at their life. Most of the novel is directed from her to him, giving her side of their shared story, while shorter vignettes look back at her childhood and at the lives of her disturbed mother and suicidal maternal grandmother. Feeling unloved by her mother, who left the family when Blythe was 11 and never looked back, Blythe fears having a daughter of her own. When she gives birth to Violet and is unable to bond with her, her fears multiply. While she fiercely loves the son born a few years later, her relationship with Violet remains fraught, and when a tragedy takes place, it cannot recover. Both an absorbing thriller and an intense, profound look at the heartbreaking ways motherhood can go wrong, this is sure to provoke discussion. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

Though Blythe Connor is determined to be a loving mother, she's convinced that there's something wrong with daughter Violet—a fear that her husband firmly rejects, leading Blythe to wonder whether she's losing her mind. Blythe gets a respite when their son Sam is born, but a single terrible event reconfirms her fears. A debut bought in a heated auction and has sold to 30 territories; Heyday Productions has optioned TV rights.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.
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Library Journal Reviews

DEBUT Three generations of women deal with motherhood in this dark debut. Blythe's mother, Cecelia, left when she was 11 years old, and Blythe decides she shouldn't have children, as Cecelia wasn't a good role model. Their toxic relationship pales in comparison with Cecelia's relationship with her mother, Etta. Fox, Blythe's gentle husband of three years, persuades her that it is time to have a baby. But Blythe can't connect with their daughter, Violet, although Fox is immediately enamored. As Blythe sinks into depression, Fox is convinced that she just doesn't love the baby enough. Blythe sees behavioral issues in Violet that increase as the girl starts school, but Fox turns a blind eye. Then Blythe has a son, Sam, and her maternal feelings for him are real and deep. Things still aren't good with Violet, though, or with the marriage, and a tragic accident causes Blythe and Fox's relationship to implode. This is not your typical tale of motherhood, and the superlative writing results in a gripping, unforgettable story. VERDICT For readers who enjoyed the darkness of Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister, the Serial Killer, Ottessa Moshfegh's Eileen, or Joyce Carol Oates's Jack of Spades.—Stacy Alesi, Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Lib., Lynn Univ., Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

Growing up as the latest link in a long chain of toxic mother-daughter dyads, aspiring writer Blythe, the narrator of Audrain's emotionally devastating debut, has no desire for parenthood herself, until she falls for gentle, supportive Fox Connor, who can't imagine not having kids and convinces her otherwise. Daughter Violet's birth three years later starts the clock ticking toward the implosion of the couple's marriage. In the eyes of Fox, who is away most of the day at work, Violet's an angel; to exhausted and overwhelmed Blythe, there's something fundamentally wrong with the baby. Or is there? As Blythe worries over the years that Violet lacks normal feelings of empathy and affection, concerns that Fox keeps dismissing as only in her head, things continue to deteriorate until, desperate not to lose Fox, Blythe becomes pregnant again. Son Sam's arrival blindsides her: to her astonishment, she loves Sam ecstatically. A tragedy precipitated by seven-year-old Violet is by no means the end of the twisty, harrowing ride to the dark side of motherhood Audrain pilots so skillfully. This is a sterling addition to the burgeoning canon of bad seed suspense, from an arrestingly original new voice. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency.

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.
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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Audrain, A. (2021). The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel . Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Audrain, Ashley. 2021. The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Audrain, Ashley. The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel Penguin Publishing Group, 2021.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Audrain, A. (2021). The push: a GMA book club pick: A novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Audrain, Ashley. The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel Penguin Publishing Group, 2021.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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