The Push: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an early electronic copy of this unsettling and riveting book. It focused on three generations of dysfunctional, unloving mothers. It raises the debate of nature versus nurture. It was well-written and compelling. Blythe's present story alternates with her neglectful and abusive mother and grandmother's past stories, and I thought the transition was not always a smooth one. This book is mainly about Blythe and her struggle to break the cycle and be viewed by herself and others as a good and caring mother. This was a character-driven book about the disintegration of a marriage. Depending on the reader, I feel the response will be polarizing. For many, it will be a fascinating psychological study and thriller. For others, myself included, it will hold too many harsh triggers that will touch on personal memories and concerns. There are graphic descriptions of childbirth and nursing problems, postpartum depression, failure to bond with a child, growing paranoia and deception, miscarriage, abortion, infant death, child abuse and neglect, suicide, and weak, ineffective men. Some of these topics made me personally uncomfortable. The painful, chilling family drama was an uncomfortable read for me. Blythe is married to Fox. She fails to bond with their new baby, Violet, whom Fox adores. She finds she is uncomfortable with and dislikes her new daughter and that the child returns these feelings. Fox minimizes Blythe's concern that something is wrong with their daughter and that she is exaggerating her problems and emotional responses. They have a baby son, and Blythe is enjoying the feeling of being a normal, loving mother for the first time. There is suspicion that Violet may have committed some terrible acts. Fox makes excuses for their daughter and blames Blythe's unjustified fear and instability. He eventually leaves home. Early in the book, I anticipated the ending but later dismissed this speculation. When it did come, it was a terrible shock but left open-ended. I believe many readers will find this a gripping story about motherhood but regret it just wasn't for me.

I kept reading looking for resolution... there is none. Four generations of mental health issues and no one on the outside (teachers, husbands, in-laws, neighbors, etc) think to get help for them. There wasn't a single character in this book to like. Too depressing, disturbing. Not a thriller just sad.

After reading “The Push” I understand what all the excitement is about. It is a tautly written fast paced story that propels the reader to an abrupt and terrifying ending. However, “The Push” is much more than a “Gone Girl” wannabe! The main character takes us on a journey that explores deep issues. What are the generational implications of being raised by a deeply damaged mother? Mental illness, neglect, failure to bond all resonate through the four generations of mothers and daughters in this story. The author relates in excruciating detail the experiences of childbirth and those early weeks and months of motherhood that take all new mothers by surprise in their intensity, beauty and pain. The complexities of love and the breakdown of a marriage in the wake of tragedy are revealed in the small details of domestic life. The crushing weight of grief at the center of the novel is almost too much to bear! Our main character’s healing journey is surprising in the path it takes, almost to the edge of madness and back.“The Push” makes us question the very nature of reality. Our protagonist vacillates between what she believes to be true and what she so desperately wants to deny. Her foundation has been ripped from under her feet and she no longer trusts her instincts. As readers, we struggle with trusting the narrator not because she wishes to deceive us but because she does not trust herself.“The Push” will haunt you long after the final sentence leaves you gasping.

Oh, that wasn't fun. Probably shouldn't have read it 4 months postpartum with my second child..."The Push" narrated in a semi-fluid second-person point of view, follows Blythe and her daughter and son. Her daughter might be a maniacal killer, or Blythe might just be incredibly mentally unstable, or both. I don't know, so many levels here: how to be a mom when you didn't have a good mom, how to be a mom when you yourself are mentally unreliable, how to be a mom to a maniacal killer (or not?), how to be a mom to dead children...It's almost too much for the postpartum mind. Maybe another year, another time of my life I could give it a more fair shot. --

This is really not a good novel, no matter what you read in other reviews. I think people find it "cutting-edge" or "riveting" because they are shocked to read about a mother who doesn't love her daughter and/or a child who is evil. Neither of these tropes is new - The Bad Seed is a very old idea. If you read thrillers you have read something similar to this book before.OTOH The Push is well-written and intelligently constructed. You won't be bored. Just don't expect to be surprised.

Wow what a bookdon’t think I’ve ever been more aware of any book before it’s publication date , twitter was full of reviews fromPeople who had read pre publication copies.I actually became quite frustrated that I had to wait until it was formally released to get a copy .Surely no book could be worth all this hypeIt’s rare to read a description of motherhood when the relationship between mother abs child is so difficult and in this book with its description of 3 generations of mothers having troubles bonding with their daughters is breathtaking. How many of us admit to those feelings of ambivalence or even dislike for our own children . We don’t it’s against any acceptable view of motherhood .We are supposed to fall in love with our infant at birth surrounded by the oxytocin high .The description of birth here is so raw so elemental and does not flinch from what for many women can be a bloody awful experience.How much more difficult would motherhood be if your owen relationship with your mother had strained or imperfect.Imagine then that you feared your child was potentially responsible for the death of their sibling. Even to have that thought in the first place would seem like an impossibility .I adored this book and would have stayed up all night to finish it if I possibly could .As it was I’d finished the next morning before it was fully light

Disquieting but compulsive read, The Push asks a very sinister What If about the relationship between mother and child. I’m not going to reveal anymore of the plot other than to say it gripped me from beginning to end and although deeply unsettling it never felt too much to bear thanks to the exquisite writing and the central character Blythe. It will stay with me for a long time.

Amazing book. I read this in two days giving up sleep,I will have to read this 100 times to work out if mother Blythe is mentally ill and paranoid, or if her worries re her daughter are true.To work out if her Daughters behaviour (if it’s real) is due to the trauma of having a mother that’s not bonded with you, or a Father that’s detached too in his own selfish way, or both. Or if it’s hereditary.Same for the mother. Then the push, The push in the centre of the book, the heart rippingly tragic one- was it one of them, or an accident?I honestly will never know the answers this book works all ways. It’s an incredible read. Amazing. Shivering now thinking about it.

I devoured this book in a number of hours - finding it utterly put-downable and I was engrossed in the story until the final page.It tells the tale of Blythe - a woman who didn't have the easiest childhood and who struggles to connect with her daughter.The tale is interspersed with flashbacks to her mother and grandmothers life, but Blythe is the constant narrator through her chapters which are told in the first person.The writing style, talking to "you" was different to begin with, but within a few paragraphs you just want to know what has happened and is happening.It's thrilling, chilling and definitely a 2021 must read!

Gripping.Took a little time to get clear on who the 3 generations of mothers and daughters were,but once I'd done that I was transfixed.Avoiding plot giveaways,but the last sentence is an absolute killer!