The Push – Book Review

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.

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 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.

If you are trying to be a mother or maybe getting married soon, then don’t read this book.

Blythe Connor is determined to be a good mother to her daughter Violet unlike her own mother Cecelia who left her when she was little. But Blythe is not really having a great relationship with Violet. She believes that she has given birth to a psychopath and doesn’t feel any connection with her own daughter. Her husband believes Blythe is just imagining things. When Blythe gives birth to a second child, a son, Sam, she has a strong connection between him and her. But then a tragedy strikes and Blythe wonders if she is really insane or not.

This is actually one of the weirdest and creepiest books I have read. I have always wanted to read this book and I was glad when I got a chance to read this book. Some people have mentioned that this book was boring but I really didn’t find this book boring at all. Along with Blythe’s POV we also have historical parts that talk about Blythe’s own grandmother Etta who suffered mental issues and tortured her own daughter Cecelia and in return Cecelia’s relationship with Blythe. The pacing was great in my own opinion and the suspense is also present in the book–is Blythe really crazy and making things up or is she right?

The ending was a satisfactory ending, making readers guess what had really happened but not going to give way too much.

Overall, I actually liked this book. This book talks about mental issues, abandonment, strained relationships and above all…strained mother-daughter relationship. I feel the author really made this book so realistic and she actually solidified my views about marriage and children in general. Worth reading in my opinion and worth four stars.