So glad this book ended with our protaganist mom being sane and living life fairly happily alone without needing anyone--men or children in this case. The last conversation that Blythe has with her ex-friend and Fox's wife is bone-chilling and made my mouth drop. Thoughts on the 'The Push' by Ashley Audrain : r/books - Reddit Moreover, Blythe didnt realize till now that it bothered Violet. Cecilia knows she is not meant for motherhood, but during her pregnancy wonders if her feelings are changing. When Violet is three, Blythe comes back to home after a weekend away and checks on Violet. I cried all night. I'm always impressed when an author can keep me on edge until the last sentence of the book. One day, Blythe is having a silly moment with a delighted Violet, and Fox sees this. Cecilia instead takes money from Ettas purse and goes to the store to buy pads. She imagines it would be the tiles from the changing room at the public pool. Etta suffered from moods and needed sedatives to calm her down. How reliable of a narrator do you think Blythe was? Blythe recalls one night after her mother had left for good. Julie Clark | The Lies I Tell. Required fields are marked *. Two years after Blythes meeting with Cecilia and Richard, Seb tells Blythe that hes going to drop her off for lunch with Cecilia, who Blythe has not seen in the interim. Before he leaves, Fox also admits to something from a long time ago. Later in the book, Blythe has a conversation with her own mother, during which she begins to understand the ways in which her mothers own trauma affected her parenting: I dont know if I can forgive you, I said But I understand now that you did the best you could with what you hadYou were just a kid, too, trying to survive. (Chapter 27). After college, they move in together, and Fox is the breadwinner while Blythe pursues her fledgling writing career. In terms of the thriller aspects of it, be forewarned that The Push is not genre fiction, if thats what youre looking for. Motherhood is just not what Blythe thought it would be, and it seems everyone is doubting her, including herself. Then, in the final lines, she learns from Gemma that something has happened to Jet (with the implication that it was Violet's fault.). Violet then brings over a bucket of water, and Blythe is unsure whether Violet plans to dump water on the kid to make him choke while he is immobilized. Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother: A third possible interpretation of the ending is that Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother. I can't read books right now where kids die. Violet lies to make Blythe look bad, and she runs away while Blythe is watching her. As someone without children, motherhood is not something I spend a lot of time thinking about, and to be totally honest, I generally avoid books that are focused on things like that because they dont tend to grab my attention. Everything We Know About the 'The Push' Adaptation. Do you think he was a good husband and/or a good father? Warning: This post contains spoilers for Passing. Fox claims hes not seeing the other woman anymore. At the end of the day, The Push is a compelling novel that pushes us as a society to talk more about the darkest sides of motherhood and to be open to more interpretations to how women are supposed to feel about motherhood. What do you think of their expectations of their wives in terms of the types of mothers they expected them to be? . Im also surprised that this is Audrains debut novel, because the pacing, structure and voice of the book feel so confident and intentional. Its just really raw about that time in life, and I note most other reviews I have seen have said the same. After the divorce, Fox has custody, but Blythe has visitation rights. Blythe realizes that the baby must have been conceived the same month that Fox was fired from his job. She keeps screaming at Cecilia until Henry comes in. Fox has a son, Jet, with his new wife, Gemma. By the time Violet is six months old, Blythe still has hemorrhoids, and she talks to her doctor about she and Fox have not had sex in a long time. The Push is a really well-crafted novel, and it would be so perfect as a book club read. For a non-spoiler version of the plot synopsis, see The Bibliofile's review of The Push by Ashley Audrain. After a particularly grueling day of kicking and screaming, Fox agrees to three days of day care a week. Blythe sees that its actually Fox who dropped it off and thanks him for it, but he also says that Blythe needs to move on with her life and not call Gemma anymore. Paperback: 336 pages. They watch a movie and laugh together, and Blythe feels sad about how rare these moments were with Violet. This book is so good. As the story unfolds in this gripping and suspenseful domestic drama, Audrain explores motherhood, the limits of unconditional love, and how the consequences of our actions can travel across generations. Days of Our Lives (DOOL) spoilers tease that Talia Hunter (Aketra Sevillian) will become increasingly torn about the mess she's gotten herself stuck in. . On the other hand, the book has a resolution (kind off) to the internal conflict that the protagonist is having regarding the nature of her own mental health. The Push by Ashley Audrain | Book Club Discussion Questions She is hysterical. After Fox leaves, Blythe secretly uses a fake name to befriend Fox's girlfriend, Gemma, to learn about their life. Afterwards, she talks to another parent who insists her child just make a mistake. You're awesome for doing it. Eventually, Cecilia discovers she also likes the wildness of fooling around with and feeling wanted by Sebs friend Lenny. Fox also makes a comment about Blythe calling his mom about his job resignation, and Blythe knows that Foxs mother told him about their call. For example, when she looks in the mirror, she sees a stranger looking back at her: I didnt recognize the woman in the mirrorI had seen her before, but she was a stranger to me now. Blythe recalls one day while her mother was brushing her hair, Blythe asked Cecilia if she wishes she werent a mother. Blythe continues seeing the literary agent casually, though unenthusiastically. I don't love cliffhangers so Margot's ending bothered me a bit" Something in me felt for Krissy the entire time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. Why do you think he is reluctant to send Violet to day care initially? Blythe gives her mother a card she made in class and feels proud as another girl comments how pretty her mother is. Soon, Blythe is pregnant again, this time with a boy. I read this in one day, and it felt very effortless. The Quick Recap and Section-by-Section Summary for The Push by Ashley Audrain are below. For the next few months, Blythe is exhausted. Without another word, Gemma rushes off. Moreover, Violet claimed that Blythe just left these things lying open in the house. Cecilia flips out. Louis intends to go into medicine as well, but Ettas father insists that Louis help with farming so that Louis can later take over the hundreds of acres the family owns. Blythe starts thinking that perhaps its time for her to let it go. With the new baby, the connection is immediate, what shes been looking for. Cecilia runs off and by that night Etta has awkwardly sewn panels into the side. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. Her father, Seb West, had found something in Cecilias pocket and was upset over someone named Lenny. Blythe struggles with Violet from the beginning, Blythe is exhausted, and motherhood proves far tougher than she anticipated. The novella The Mist ends pretty similar to the movie, with a daring escape being made by David, his son, and two others. Blythe and Gemma become close, but eventually Fox finds out Blythe has been pretending to be someone else to get close to Gemma. When Violet turns 1, Blythe and Fox throw a party, and they take a family picture. Join our community of book lovers and receive the best book recommendations straight to your inbox . After the divorce, Fox has custody, but Blythe has visitation rights. When Blythe attributes their marriage falling apart to Sams death, Fox tells her that Sam is not the reason, implying that it had more to do with Violet (and presumably he thinks Blythe was deficient as a mother towards her). Read it and you will not be disappointed. Read my Disclaimer to learn more. Mrs. Leda Ellington was kind and caring towards Blythe, but Cecilia disliked her. Required fields are marked *. When her mother doesnt know, he insists that Blythe find it, and Blythe senses that theyve pushed Cecilia too far. I need to know how it ends before I decide if I want to read it. Violet didnt care much for Sam, but Sam adores Violet. Throughout the book, Blythe struggles to connect with Violet and to understand her daughters behavior. Even when Cecilia is seven, she still clings to her doll, Beth-Anne. The ending might be sad, or shocking, or some delicious blend of sad and shocking, but either way the end of the book has utterly ruined you and you are now a small pile of rubble lying in the . Did the ending change your assessment of her reliability as a narrator? Despite the difficulties she has faced, Blythe has not given up on her daughter or herself. A series based on this book will be HUGE success! The next day, the doctor attributes her action to normal parental anxiety. When Blythe was in the third grade, Cecilia showed up to a class event, a Mothers Day tea party, to her surprise. Blythe recalls her earliest memory from childhood (of herself in a stroller), and she wonders what her son Sam would remember. The way the book is left open leaving questions about just what happened. When he suggests that Blythe start writing again she knows she has passed whatever test he was putting her through. There were periods of time when Etta managed to act the way others expected her to be. Passing: The Tragic Ending of the Netflix Movie, Explained - Screen Rant When Cecilia (Blythe's mother) is born, Etta marries her second husband Henry, but Etta struggles with motherhood and is often intentionally cruel to Cecilia. Blythe still tells Gemma her suspicions about Violet anyway. Do you think Blythe is like the women who came before her? Yes but still kind of right or left, so great to get a validation :). As Blythes relationship with Violet becomes increasingly strained, she begins to question her own sanity and fears that she may be repeating the cycle of abuse. The Push is published by Michael Joseph (RRP 12.99 . Her grandmother Etta's first husband died in a horrified farming accident. If Fox had done things different? Soon, Fox says hes resigning from his job. Blythe is hopeful that motherhood will come naturally to her, like it seems to for most women. I so hope, whoever makes the movie or series, will focus on the "smells" that the protagonist talks about all the time. When Blythe talks to Fox about her preferring him, he insists its all in her head. One day Fox comes home early to the sound of Violets cries, and he is furious. The Push by Ashley Audrain review - the dark side of motherhood Some readers may interpret this as a sign that Blythe is beginning to understand her daughters needs and to develop a better relationship with her. Follow along on Goodreads, or keep in touch via the newsletter. . Cecilia dislikes being a mother, and she leaves permanently when Blythe is 12. Later, Violet finds a book Blythe had been reading about how to move a marriage past an affair. One of the messages she urgently conveys is, after all, that this reproduction business does not end simply, or easily - or, indeed, ever. Violet typically wakes up and cries after napping for two hours, but Blythe puts on headphones and lets her cry for some time so that she can get some more work done. Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. There is a lot of back and forth between Blythe, her past with her mother Cecelia, and then Cecelia's past with her mother Etta. Book Summary. Blythe knows Fox wouldnt like that, so she settles on taking long walks with Violet. A man keeps calling for Cecilia, but Seb says shes not home. She admits it in the end but only to Blythe. The girl leaves cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. This passage suggests that Blythe is beginning to understand that her own failures as a mother have contributed to the distance between her and Violet. These actions demonstrate a willingness to change and to take responsibility for her own actions. All the women from her prenatal class merely talk about how rewarding motherhood is. Violet looks disappointed to see her and continues to sleep. Violets teacher asks Blythe to help chaperone a school trip, and Blythe reluctantly agrees. Coraline: Your mother is made of buttons. It has a thriller vibe in terms of a suspenseful and tense atmosphere, its relatively quickly paced, and there are even some shifts in perspective or new pieces of information introduced that feel something like twists, but to be clear, the book still doesnt read like genre fiction if you read lots of thrillers. But Gemma tells Blythe that Violet didnt push Sam. Blythe ends up looking for photos online to find ones of a four-year-old that can serve as a stand-in for Sam. Soon, she starts to resents Fox for seeing her solely as Violet's caregiver, and Fox thinks Blythe is deficient as a mother. She begins to see a therapist and takes medication, but she also feels disconnected from her own thoughts and feelings. Then he tells Blythe that even so, Violet deserved more from Blythe, but that Blythe had deserved more from him as well. Blythe learns they had another son, Jet. Why do you think Cecilia dislikes Mrs. Ellington? She tells Cecilia where to find it, then shuts Cecilia in the tiny space and then Etta gets distracted. Throughout the book, it's not clear if Violet is innately bad, if Blythe is a bad mother (Blythe comes from a line of bad mothers) or if it's all in Blythe's head. What shes thinking and feeling is isolating, dark, and raw, and it shines a light on parts of motherhood not often talked about. Book Review: The Push by Ashley Audrain - i've read this When Violet is 5, there is a funeral for a boy named Elijah. Some readers may interpret this as a turning point for Blythe, suggesting that she may be able to heal from her own trauma and build a healthier relationship with her daughter. Blythe's relationship with Violet remains strained and eventually, Blythe loses visitation rights. Sounds a bit dark for me. Blythe realizes that she misses the friendship. When Cecilia is in the sixth grade, Etta decides to make Cecilia a dress for the school dance. After Blythe is born, she thinks of how she looks like her doll from childhood. When Mrs. Ellington later tell her that you made him very happy to comfort her, Blythe thinks about how it is a kind lie. When Blythe is ten, she goes over to the Ellingtons one day after Mrs. Ellington has recently miscarried. I still wonder if Gemma suspected she was more. Driven by curiosity, Blythe stalks their apartment to catch a glimpse of the unknown woman, and she ends up following her to a moms group meetup. She senses Violet prefers Fox, but Fox insists it's all in her head. Her own mother and grandmother were not role models; each harbored . In the last lines of the book Blythe seems to have made peace and was moving on with her life. I also ran a charitable campaign that collected 1,500 book donations for Philadelphia schools. At the next moms meet-up, Gemma brings Fox. When Blythe and Fox have their second child, a boy named Sam, Blythe's connection with him is immediate, and she adores him. By recognizing Violets attempts at communication, Blythe may be able to repair their relationship and become a better parent. It is an ending that may leave you feeling anxious, to put it plainly. Blythe thinks Violet is violent and lacks empathy, but Fox thinks Blythe's insufficient love for Violet is the problem. Nothing comes of it, and Blythe is forced to move on, her husband left her for another woman, they have a child together, Violet continues to hate her own mother. Instead, she has been working on a short story. It was okay in the sense that I couldn't put it down. I finished the book simply for the sake of Sam and Blythe. When Cecilia is five, Etta is trying to wash Cecilias hair and Cecilia is being difficult. Up until the last few lines of the book. When Cecilia is 15, Etta seems to be slipping away. Laughed out loud at how on a site dedicated to helping people assess whether they want to read a book someone would take a question about a book, make, Laughed out loud at how on a site dedicated to helping people assess whether they want to read a book someone would take a question about a book, make assumptions,and feel the need to provide acondenscending respond . In addition to being a book about being a mother, Audrains novel also looks at the ways behaviors and the effects of those various behaviors get passed down through the generations. Etta suffered from moods and needed sedatives to calm her down. Seb had been playing poker with some friends when he referred to another man as a cheater. On the trip, Blythe notices how Violet is an outcast. On Foxs birthday, Blythe purposely skips out on his breakfast plans. It was such a cliffhanger to end the novel on and I think that Audrain really made a brave choice to end the book with such an unfinished ending. Blythe recalls how she stopped relying on her father as much when Fox came into the picture, and she feels ashamed because she knew that she was all he really had. Etta insists that Cecilia wear the dress anyway. The ending itself was predictable. Their son, Thomas Ellington Jr., was Blythes best friend. Watch for it's arrival in 6-10 weeks, June, 2022. When Blythe goes home, her father doesnt ask any questions, but Blythe tells him that it wasnt him who had made Cecilia unhappy (since its clear Cecilia is bored/unhappy with Richard as well). He suggests joint custody over Violet, and Blythe agrees. At 11 months, Violet says Mama, and Blythe and Fox are delighted. The book ends with the line: Blythe, she finally whispers. (It sounds like shes hoping Violet will come and be curious about her the way she was curious about their family. 2 years ago. By delving into these themes, Ashley Audrain has created a novel that is both gripping and thought-provoking. As Violet gets older, Violet continues to be antagonistic and even violent towards Blythe. Blythe loves the night nurse. Fox wants his parents to come help out, but Blythe says shes in no condition to have Foxs perfect mother there, since shes still bleeding, she hasnt showered and shes too sore to wear a shirt. Afterwards, Blythe recalls how Violet had inquired about how streetlights work the weekend before. Meanwhile, the narration is interspersed with information about the women in Blythe's family and her childhood. Moreover, the fact that Blythe survived the incident with Violet suggests that she may have a chance to make things right. She senses Violet prefers Fox, but Fox insists it's all in her head. And how big of an impact do you think Mrs. Ellington had on Blythes life? Blythe takes a seat and the other woman, Gemma, happens to sit beside her. She later cheats on him and wants to leave him, but then they find out she is pregnant. The Push: Recap & Book Summary - The Bibliofile A woman observes a house where a family of four lives. The trip changes the way Blythe sees Violet, as a sad, powerless girl. The book's ending is both shocking and ambiguous, leaving readers with many questions and different interpretations. The Bibliofile's review of The Push by Ashley Audrain. March 12, 2023. Three months after the accident, the Connors move to a new house, and Blythe hopes a change will be good for them. At Penguin, she worked with bestselling authors including Khaled Hosseini, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Meg Wolitzer. Blythe imagines what it would be like to leave all of it behind. A few days later, at the age of 32, Etta hangs herself with Henrys belt on a tree out front. Cecilia continues to hide these things from Henry, and Etta brightens up when Henry is around. When Blythe is 27, Fox is eager to have kids. My new novel, historical fiction, has some darkness, too, but only at the end as the mystery arrives at a strange twist. Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. What makes this book such a compelling read is its ability to provoke strong emotions and spark meaningful conversations. The Push manages the difficult feat of being genuinely satisfying in terms of substance and telling a compelling (and multi-generational) story, all while maintaining a "thriller"-type atmosphere without feeling like genre fiction. When their infant son Sam is killed, Blythe blames Violet. Outside, snow is falling. I also interpreted the push literally like when Violet pushed Sam. This passage suggests that Blythe is beginning to empathize with her mothers own difficult circumstances and is starting to understand that her mother did the best she could under the circumstances. She gets home to find that everything is fine. Afterwards, Blythe goes into Sams things, smelling them and missing him. Published on February 6, 2021. As they chat, Gemma mentions that she has a son, Jet, who is going to be five months old soon. Did this story make you reflect on your personal experiences, and if so how? The stroller collides with a car and Sam is killed. She and Lenny continue on and she considers leaving Seb for Lenny, but then Cecilia learns she is pregnant. It is a book that demands to be . Reader Q&A, The next morning is peaceful, and Blythe heads to the park with the kids. She wakes up wanting the Mother and Child painting back (which she thought Fox had taken with him), but Fox says he doesnt know where it is. Sorry for that. Bookends - How did that book end? Book spoilers to jog your memory. Blythe and Violet's relationship is still fraught. Fox is out of town, and Gemma wonders whether she should take him to the hospital and if so whether to wake Violet (who is 11 now) in the middle of the night or just leave her there alone.
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