The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel
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 feared
Ashley Audrain's second novel, The Whispers, is on sale now
Blythe 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.
“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 feared
Ashley Audrain's second novel, The Whispers, is on sale now
Blythe 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.
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Community Reviews
Quick read, because I couldn't put it down. The narrative POV felt disjointed initially but quickly became a non thing.
Wild ride, full of doubt and anxiety at the maybe, what if!
This book was a roller coaster. I found myself cheering for blythe when it seemed everyone else was against her
There are a ton of questions and discussion guides for this book. Look for some links and questions at the end of my review.
My book club's October pick was The Push. Although it started a little slow for me, and at times I got confused by which viewpoint I was reading (it shows events from Blythe's grandmother and mother's growing up), once i got into the book it was a quick read.
We start with someone who gives stalker vibes observing what what appears to be a perfect family gathering through the living room window. The observer then states this is her side of the story for him.
Next, we meet Blythe and Fox, a seemingly perfect consuming love match. Slowly through flashbacks to Blythe's mother and grandmother's growing up, we learn she has a generational dysfunctional family, and though Fox thinks she would be a perfect mom, she has concerns about having a child. They have a girl, and motherhood is no where near what she expected - no instant maternal feelings, exhaustion, no support, and odd occurrences and feelings that are dismissed by almost everyone. When she has a 2nd child, her experience is completely different and its what everyone talked about motherhood would be. So, is it her imagination that there are issues with her first daughter? First, i have read so many trending novels of unreliable narrators that I wasn't sure what to believe about the events. Second, I feel like this couple simply couldn't communicate with each other, contributing to some of the issues. Lastly, wow, the next events rolled like a bullet train and the ending - the very last line! - brought me chills!
This was a great book club book, lots to discuss and consider!
https://inkishkingdoms.com/2021/03/12...
https://penguin.co.uk/articles/20...
1. In the book, Blythe struggles with feelings of inadequacy as she fails to live up to the perfect ideal of motherhood. How do societal pressures contribute to those feelings? How do you think society views motherhood --- what it should look like, how it should feel, even who should be a mother --- and what kind of burden does that place on women?
2. Does being a “good mother” always require selflessness and unconditional love? How much of ourselves do we owe our children?
3. What are your thoughts about Blythe as a mother? Did she fail Violet? Sam? What could or should she have done differently?
4. The theory of inherited trauma --- that we carry the scars of past generations --- is explored through Blythe’s mother and grandmother, who struggled in similar ways to her. How much do you think we carry forward from the experiences of the generation before us? Is it possible to break the cycle completely?
5. Nature versus nurture is a big theme in THE PUSH. Are we born, or are we made? And, especially, when children turn out to be violent or dangerous, how much blame lies with the way they are raised?
6. Blythe writes that both she and her mother “had only one version of the truth” when it comes to what they can remember about their own upbringings --- there isn’t anyone left who can tell them a different side of the story. Do you think we subconsciously reframe what we remember about our past? Did you believe everything Blythe remembered about her childhood?
7. Blythe says of her early relationship with Fox: “I had nothing when I met you, and you effortlessly became my everything.” What did you think about the quality of their relationship from the outset? Is there something dangerous about a love so all-consuming and addictive?
8. Do you think Fox ever lied about not believing Blythe in order to protect Violet? If so, do you think trying to protect his daughter was a good enough reason to doubt his wife?
9. When Blythe and Fox speak for the last time, Fox tells Blythe, “[Violet] wasn’t always easy. But she deserved more from you. And you deserved more from me.” What do you think Fox lacked as a husband?
10. Were you surprised by the nature of Blythe and Gemma’s relationship? Even though it was based on a lie, do you think there was real friendship and understanding there?
11. Do you think Gemma was always being truthful with Blythe about her feelings for Violet?
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