Push, The
Audrain, AshleyIn the great genetic lottery of life, Blythe Connor inherited a maternal history of abuse, neglect and abandonment. She intends breaking the cycle when she has children, but when Violet is born, she seems ... different, and it becomes even more apparent when baby number two, Sam, is born. But if Blythe's husband and father to the children doesn't believe it, why would anyone else? Maybe Blythe has good reason to doubt her ability to mother.
Immersive and perturbing, this is a thought-provoking examination of the nature versus nurture debate and the weighty societal expectations of motherhood.
Pages
303
303
Year
2021
2021
Reviews
21-11-2024
We found this book easy to read and very disturbing. It was difficult to put down, and some compared it to watching a slow motion train wreck. It prompted interesting discussions of nature versus nurture.
18-07-2024
Overall the book kept you intrigued. Sometimes the style of the writing was challenging. The expectations on mothers are high and can't always be met. Questions for discussion were good.
01-05-2024
Plenty of discussion about nurture and nature, and repeating cycles of behaviour.
04-03-2024
Three people in our group found the subject not to their liking at all. Others found it a good read. It certainly provoked some interesting discussion.
19-09-2023
Most people found the book disturbing. Violet was a ticking time bomb, manipulative in some ways, caring when she wanted to be. Blythe's relationship with her daughter was odd - we thought a psychologist should have seen Violet and Blythe. Dad was perhaps one-eyed as far as his daughter was concerned.
31-07-2023
This was a very interesting read. This is the story of nature vs nurture. There was no bond between Blythe and Violet - where did the fault lie This raises issues about mothering, suitability, innate qualities that we are born with.
18-05-2023
Gripping story that really gets the reader thinking.
11-05-2023
Disturbing content; enjoyed by some.
19-12-2022
Gripping read.
06-12-2022
Most members agreed the book was easy to read and most enjoyed the short chapters. It did not grab all members and it wasn't finished by all. Even though the group thought it was well written, most did not like the content. We did have some good discussions around intergenerational trauma and the pressure on new mothers.
08-11-2022
We found this book very well-written. Very easy to read. Short chapters kept it moving, gripping and believable. Some found it quite harrowing. We would all recommend this book to others.
17-10-2022
Not all enjoyed the book - found it a little disturbing, a few did not finish.
22-06-2022
Our group found this book particularly harrowing to read. It created a lot of discussion - even though harrowing, you couldn't put it down.