A 4-star, emotive and intense psychological read, which left me hanging on to Ashley Audrain’s every word… The Push might be for you.

The plot:

The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life. But as soon as I held her in my arms I knew something wasn’t right. I had always known that the women in my family aren’t meant to be mothers.

My husband Fox says I’m imagining it. He tells me I’m nothing like my own mother, and that Violet is the sweetest child.

But she’s different with me. Something feels very wrong.

I can definitely see why this book has got a lot of praise

Note: whilst I have kept my review spoiler-free, I have included some trigger warnings at the end of this post – these do provide spoilers.

This isn’t an easy book to read, due to the dark content. It’s raw and unexpected, and I had to take a breather on occasions as it became overwhelming at times.

I can definitely see why this book has got a lot of praise. The Push envelopes motherhood and mental health, giving you the real gritty details of how three generations have been affected by trauma.

I adore books which psychologically play on your mind, and this has to be up there in my ratings. It’s a fairly messed-up book, and so horrifyingly realistic, which really got to me. Some of the text really creeps up on you, embedded as if you’re on a rollercoaster.

There are excerpts from a previous time, which I enjoyed as that helped us get a rounded-view on what/why the characters were thinking, and how this impacted them, first-hand and second-hand.

I loved the writing style – it’s first person from the protagonist’s point of view, but what set this out from the standard book is the way she continuously referenced ‘you’ – we know from the get-go that she is not referring to you as a reader, but it’s a small point which really pulls you in.

It’s incredibly thought-provoking, especially as it is looking into that darker side of motherhood, but also discusses relationships, and had me, personally, thinking constantly.

It did have its thriller-y moments, especially with the ending, but I wouldn’t necessarily put this in the thriller genre (which is what I initially thought). It has a great last-minute twist, but I felt like this could’ve been done with more ‘oomph’ to make it stand-out.

The Push is unsettling, dark and engrossing. Not a story to take lightly, but worth the read for the psychological genre fans. I can’t put my finger on why it didn’t make the 5-star mark, but it’s definitely a book which will stay with me.

The Push, Audrey Ashley, RRP £12.99 (hardback); Book Depository

Pages: 331

Publisher: Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House

Genre: Psychological Drama

SPOILERS – Trigger warnings: Child abuse, self-harm (suicide), mental health (including postnatal depression). Mentions of: abortion, racism.