The Push

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Cecilia knows she is beautiful and heads to the city and meets Seb, who is a doorman at a fancy hotel. Soon, they are a couple, he introduces her to his friends and he supports her financially. Eventually, Cecilia discovers she also likes the wildness of fooling around with and feeling wanted by Seb’s friend Lenny. She and Lenny continue on and she considers leaving Seb for Lenny, but then Cecilia learns she is pregnant. But Violet’s behavior seems “off.” Blythe thinks Violet hates her and may even be malicious. Blythe is in that “new mom” state of confusion, fear, and anxiety, wondering if it’s all in her head. What she’s thinking and feeling is isolating, dark, and raw, and it shines a light on parts of motherhood not often talked about. The Push, which is a debut novel is a psychological thriller that tells the story of three generations of women who have been abused and are passing on their traumas through these generations. The difficult circumstance that Blythe finds herself in is her inability to know what a good mother is or how to become a good mother. She doesn’t have the confidence to trust her own instincts. So, when she finally had her daughter, Violet, nothing seems to be the way it should but how can she truly know. This book makes you think about how fragile mother daughter relationships are and where does the poor treatment between them originate. Blythe is trying to change the sequences of abuse, but her husband is dismissive and provides no support. Thankfully she has a clue what it means to be a real mother by her relationship with a neighbor growing up who gave her real love. All I can say is that it has been a long time since the very last paragraph changed the entire book for me. I read this book in one sitting. This is not a happy book. It is brutally honest and raw. It will rip your heart out. It will make you feel the pain of a mother fighting her own thoughts and worries.

Suspenseful with extreme We Need To Talk About Kevin vibes, this is the Book Club Book that'll have everyone talking next year Grazia If you had a book club with people who could all handle the subject matter, this would make for incredible discussion. There were so many moments beyond the huge plot movements, subtle nuances that so caught me and I wanted to say “hey, what did you think of that moment?” “What did you think of the title?” could be one whole discussion... I was left disappointed, and even worse, bored to tears. I'm trying to find one thing I found interesting, but I'm coming up blank. There was nothing interesting, riveting, or illuminating. Some books I can recognize as having value but for one reason or another they aren't for me. This isn't one of those times. 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.

Detailed Plot Summary

The Push is told in first person, narrated by Blythe in the form of a letter she is writing to her husband. The story explores trauma, motherhood, societal expectations towards women, marriage, loss and much much more. I was incredibly uncomfortable at times reading this book. I felt immense affection for Blythe and outrage at how she was being treated. This was a very unsettling read that looks at how society gaslights women to the point that they don't know what's real. The Push focuses on three generations of mothers: Etta, Cecilia, and Blythe. Most of the book focuses on Blythe's story where we are introduced to her in the first chapter where she is sitting in her car observing another family. Then, we discover that the girl in the family is her daughter. How did this other family end up with her daughter? What decisions led up to Blythe allowing someone else to raise her daughter? Suspenseful, dark and intriguing . . . It's going to be a big discussion point in 2021 Stylist, Book to Watch 2021

At one point, Cecilia tells a young Blythe that “there’s a lot about ourselves that we can’t change—it’s just the way we’re born. But some parts of us are shaped by what we see.” What do you think the book overall is trying to say about nature vs. nurture? Is there a clear conclusion that can even be drawn? To what extent do you think each aspect came into play when it comes to Violet?

What role does grief play?

Motherhood is just not what Blythe thought it would be, and it seems everyone is doubting her, including herself. Our daughter is staring out the window looking at me, her hands on your son's shoulders. She bends down and kisses him on the cheek. And then again. And then again. The boy likes the affection. He is used to it. He is pointing to the falling snow but she won't look away from me. She rubs the top of his arms as though she's warming him up. Like a mother would do.