“The Push” by Ashley Audrain - Review

General Thoughts and Feelings

For what it’s worth, I did like this book. Did I think it was the groundbreaking life-altering novel I was pitched? Not necessarily. This novel spans four generations of women, from the narrator’s grandmother to the narrator’s daughter, although the daughter’s perspective is never shown outright. The glimpses we have of her character are from the memories, interactions, and words given to us by her mother, our protagonist. This ambiguity surrounding their relationship fuels the underlying tension of the novel. And in my opinion, there isn’t much. Or at least not nearly as much as I was expecting.

With that being said, I do think the author has the potential for writing extremely gripping tension. I would be eager to see her delve into a more thriller or horror style of writing. I thought she handled the tension of the “he said, she said” well but it felt as though some of the instances were almost an afterthought. The last few pages in particular struck me as such. And I think what could have been something potentially hard-hitting and trippy felt a bit cheap and last minute.

Rating

Character: 1.5/2

Setting: 1.5/2 -  Books like this are why I debated with myself for so long including “setting” in my review structure. If you held me at gunpoint, I could not tell you what city, state, or country this book took place in. I assume that somewhere in English-speaking North America due to reasons outside the book (publishing house, author bio) but not much more than that. So why 1.5? Because the houses, the apartments that the characters lived in, and even the bookstore that a few scenes took place in, felt like places I could visit and see. These locations felt like characters in and of themselves.

Plot: 1/2 - there wasn’t much of a plot but reading about the characters' backstories and seeing their progressions was interesting

Pacing: 1/2 - I felt this book dragged. I’ve never been a fan of short chapters but for some reason, the structure emphasized how slow the pacing felt to me. 

Reaction: 1/2 - A book like this is one of the reasons I prefer going into most books completely blind. Simply put, this book was pitched to me as a thriller. I instead received a generational saga portraying a foray into the darkness of motherhood.

Points: 6/10

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️