The Push

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Ashley Audrain

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | A New York Times best seller!

"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, pause-resisting 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

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.

The Push is a tour de force you will listen 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.

©2021 Ashley Audrain (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Starkly original and compulsively readable, Ashley Audrain's THE PUSH is a deep dive into the darkest nooks and crannies of motherhood. Raw, visceral, and often disturbing, this is an intense psychological drama that will be embraced by serious book clubs and fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin." (Kristin Hannah, number one New York Times best-selling author)

"THE PUSH was a poetic, propulsive read that set my nerves jangling in both horror and recognition. I read it in one sitting and it stayed with me for days afterwards. Not to be missed." (Lisa Jewell, number one New York Times best-selling author of Then She Was Gone)

“With its riveting prose and deep convictions, Ashley Audrain’s THE PUSH had me in its clutches from the first page. Audrain’s astute portrayal of motherhood was unsettling in its insights, yet highly entertaining on the page. Complex, nuanced, and unflinching, I inhaled this debut in one sitting." (Karma Brown, best-selling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife)

OMG..

If you choose anything to read this year make it be this book. I cannot recommend it enough.

Disturbingly close to home.

This book was a tough listen, but worthwhile, in my opinion. It resonated strongly with me, as the mother of two profoundly different children. Like Blythe, I stumbled into motherhood somewhat tentatively and not all together confidently, wholly unprepared for what this child would bring. As the first of our friends to be parents, we had no frame of reference for what “normal” was. All I knew was this child had the most difficult temperament I’d ever experienced, and my husband (and his family) were largely in denial. The lack of empathy, the tendency to undermine my efforts to set boundaries, and a general dismissal of my concerns that his behavior was “off the charts” challenging, combined to chip away at my confidence as a mother and wife. There were times when I felt so impotent in my mothering that I wondered if he might be better off without me.
The birth of my second son brought the mothering experience I’d longed for. I could absolutely relate to Blyth’s longing for this baby she so desperately needed to affirm her mothering instincts, and her utter desolation when she lost him.
I’m happy to report that despite my eldest being the kind of kid I’ve heard referred to as a “mother killer”, he was never (thank God) a child without empathy. We’ve all experienced (or been tormented by) a kid, either in our own childhood or in raising our children, who puts our spidey sense on alert; a bit too canny, too aware of how to surgically strike a vulnerable spot, manipulative, precocious, aware beyond their years. And we’ve undoubtedly experienced parents of these children who seem clueless, in complete denial of the budding monsters they’re raising.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time. I don’t think I could have handled it twenty years ago, but with the perspective that comes with time and maturity, I’m able to see the parallels between Blythe and me, and more importantly, to see my mistakes and shortcomings as a mother in a more forgiving light. We are, after all, doing the best we know how given the scars we carry from own origin stories.

Nature & Nurture Personified

I listened all day and all night. I could not stop and I tried. I really did. The Push is cleverly written, with a powerful ending. Ireland's performance struck just the right notes throughout.

riveting

difficult subject, but mesmerizing story. I often wondered if parents have inklings that their child has a sinister side. what would they do to either protect the child, or expose the truth.

Not exactly a psychological thriller, but good.

I’m surprised to see so many reviews call this book a psychological thriller. It’s more of a character study with some thrilling elements to it, but it’s by no means a thriller. A sometimes slow multi generational character study, The Push examines inter-generational familial trauma with depth and grace. It is, at times, difficult to listen to if you have any kind of history with your mother. Overall a well written novel. Great narration as well.

Enjoyable Read

I really enjoyed this book. I found the story engaging, with themes any mother can relate to: guilt, insecurities, loss, and love. The backstories kept me guessing about Blythe ... is she a bad mother like her mother and grandmother before her, or is her child really the problem? I thought the narrator was wonderful. She has a pleasant voice and doesn’t overdo it when she’s voicing other characters. I plan on looking for more books from the author and from the narrator.

Erin J., Belle Chasse, LA

Definently helped me to re examine my self as a mother. So many issues are brought up here Depression, Postpartum, Mental Illness , wanting to be loved by a family that is not your own and the credibility of women. This book is a true gem and I resonated with every bit of it.

Hard to track generational switches

Possibly because I was listening on audible and not having the benefit of chapter headings, but the book goes back and forth between two or three sets of mothers and daughters and I was nearing the end before I figured out the family progression. Otherwise, well done and suspenseful.

What a thrill of a ride!

This story had me on the edge of my seat until the end. It’d make a fabulous mini series. So good!

chilling

Can't get it out of my head!! Definitely makes your stomach turn and skin crawl.