Most of the story is narrated by the protagonist, Blythe Connor, a mother who suspects that her young daughter may be a coldblooded killer responsible for the deaths of two young boys, including Blythe's other child. Up until the last few lines of the book. When Violet is three, Blythe comes back to home after a weekend away and checks on Violet. I think the book shows how easily we raise evil people and how parents cannot see bad in their kids. 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. Mrs. Ellington admits that she is sad and that it was a little girl. Blythe and Gemma become close, but eventually Fox finds out Blythe has been pretending to be someone else to get close to Gemma. ~Sheila. After the divorce, Fox has custody, but Blythe has visitation rights. Im also surprised that this is Audrains debut novel, because the pacing, structure and voice of the book feel so confident and intentional. Meanwhile, Cecilia is disappearing as well. When Blythe finally saw Cecilia/Annie and Richard together, she wished her mother had died rather than become someone she no longer could recognize. When Cecilia gets her period, she wakes Etta from her nap to tell her, but Etta merely gives her two pills and goes back to sleep. Crime Junkie Fan's Bookclub - All Good People Here: Caution: Spoilers She was someone else entirely, someone who felt like she was fading away into nothingness. (Chapter 22). Blythe realizes that the baby must have been conceived the same month that Fox was fired from his job. Great review! As Blythe grieves, she stays in bed. She starts casually sleeping with a man, a not particularly successful literary agent, but she suspects hes also interested in having her write something that he could monetize. Over the years, Cecilia continues to notice Ettas nerves acting up, and Etta would occasionally lock Cecilia out of the house. The Push by Ashley Audrain is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of motherhood and the lasting impact of childhood trauma. Warning: This post contains spoilers for Passing. At the next moms meet-up, Gemma brings Fox. Back at home, Fox leaves on a trip, leaving Blythe and Violet alone. It wasnt a book I was expecting to like, much less one that Id be eager to recommend to others. 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 notices the other things that are now missing from her relationship now that Violet is getting Foxs time and attention, like how they no longer do crosswords together. I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it :). The book ends a year and a half after that point. Do you think the portrayal is accurate, and do you think the way other mothers act toward each other has changed over the years? 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. When Cecilia is five, Etta is trying to wash Cecilias hair and Cecilia is being difficult. She is hysterical. Sapphire continued the story with a 2011 sequel called The Kid, which focuses on Abdul, Precious's son. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Without another word, Gemma rushes off. Finally, at one point Blythe grabs Violet arm hard enough to hurt her, and Fox cuts off visitation. A woman observes a house where a family of four lives. Blythe senses that Gemma is upset with her later. What do you think of their expectations of their wives in terms of the types of mothers they expected them to be? Colleen Hoover's It Ends with Us: ending, explained - OkayBliss The woman in the car thinks about her daughter (the girl) is beginning to look like her. Motherhood is just not what Blythe thought it would be, and it seems everyone is doubting her, including herself. The early years of their marriage are dreamy, hopeful and carefree. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughtershe doesn't behave like most children do. A year and a half later, Blythe is in therapy now, working hard to try to let things go. What did you think about Foxs handling of things that came up in the book? Soon, she starts to resents Fox for seeing her solely as Violet's caregiver, and Fox thinks Blythe is deficient as a mother. The girl leaves cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer. When Blythe stops paying attention, Violet goes missing. I may change my mind about reading this. Blythe remembers her father telling Cecilia that Youll end up just like Etta before finally giving her a drink to calm her down. 11. I think you missed the actual ending. Afterwards, Blythe goes into Sams things, smelling them and missing him. Blythe's pain when she lost her son was absolutely heartbreaking. She admits it in the end but only to Blythe. When the baby is born, Blythe feels euphoric. Angel. Soon, she begins to wonder if there's something genuinely wrong with her daughter, Violet, though her husband insists it isn't true. Blythe suspects something is wrong with Violet, but Fox clearly thinks Blythe is the problem. By Angie Barry. Blythe wants to send Violet to day care, but Fox is against the idea because his own mother had never needed to do so. Blythe had watched as Violet tripped Elijah on the playset, ad Elijah had consequently fallen off the top slide and died. 3. When Violet turns 1, Blythe and Fox throw a party, and they take a family picture. Yeah the internet has gotten really weird. Blythe lets go of the stroller, and Violet pushes it into the road. The author captured it beautifully and so accurately in the beginning. Blythe is surprised that Violet accepts the change surprisingly well, and things are better in the house for a while. Blythe thinks about how Violet is growing up and will leave her behind. Blythe knows Fox wouldnt like that, so she settles on taking long walks with Violet. What did you think about the authors portrayal of the other mothers in the book, for example as with the women Blythe meets at her prenatal class? American Gods: Gods are made of stories. It is a book that demands to be discussed and debated, and one that has the power to inspire change. As the days pass, Blythe sees that Violets emptiness is back. The Push is a domestic-slash-family thriller that can appeal to most adults, and its a book I imagine a lot of people can benefit from reading. Talia is secretly dating Colin (Jasper Newman), Sloan Petersen's (Jessica Serfaty) vengeful brother.. I still wonder if Gemma suspected she was more. Passing: The Tragic Ending of the Netflix Movie, Explained - Screen Rant But men with children would probably benefit a lot from reading this, and I have no kids but thought it was gripping and very worth my time. Thoughts on the 'The Push' by Ashley Audrain : r/books - Reddit When they get home, Blythe tells Seb about it, and he asks to see the card. 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. After Blythe and Fox divorce, he gets custody of Violet and moves in with his girlfriend, Gemma, with whom he has a son named Jet. When Blythe is 27, Fox is eager to have kids. The next day, Blythe tells Fox, who brushes it off. Book Review: The Push by Ashley Audrain - i've read this Push is narrated by Precious, a Black teenager whose school expels her at . I'm a reader of 100+ books per year, I studied English literature, and I've been on The Today Show's Read with Jenna Book Club, Oprah's Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and media outlets including Buzzfeed, The Atlantic, and Esquire. Paperback: 336 pages. (It sounds like shes hoping Violet will come and be curious about her the way she was curious about their family. Blythe enters, but quickly leaves. The Mist Ending: What Happened, And How It Differs From The Book One day, Foxs mother comes over and gives Violet a doll. The Push by Ashley Audrain is a debut novel and a tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for but everything she feared. All rights reserved. Then he tells Blythe that even so, Violet deserved more from Blythe, but that Blythe had deserved more from him as well. Soon, Fox says hes resigning from his job. Things improve with Fox. In terms of the thriller aspects of it, be forewarned that The Push is not genre fiction, if thats what youre looking for. After dinner, she turns on the porch light in case her daughter decides its time to see her. Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. [Violet killed her brother. Blythe and Fox both pretend not to recognize each other, but Gemma clearly senses something is off. Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. This passage suggests that Blythe is aware of the potential danger she poses to herself but is also struggling to control her thoughts and impulses. Publication Date: January 4, 2022. Do you think things could have turned out differently if Blythe had done things differently? But one fateful night Ryle finds Atlas's number and goes in a rage. She published her first novel, Push, in 1996; in 2009 it was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Precious. Required fields are marked *. Mrs. Leda Ellington was kind and caring towards Blythe, but Cecilia disliked her. Before the ending, 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. . 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. The book is also a bit of a downer, and I would go so far as to say it occasionally toes the line into feeling like misery lit (or misery pn, for a less proper term), wrapped up in a thriller-esque package. Cecilia later explains that its because her mother once did something very cruel to her because there was something wrong with Etta. Throughout the book, Blythe grapples with the legacy of her own difficult childhood and the impact it has on her relationship with Violet. In the last lines of the book Blythe seems to have made peace and was moving on with her life. One day, Blythe is having a silly moment with a delighted Violet, and Fox sees this. She is surprised, but curious. The next day, Blythe starts apologizing profusely (about acting like a psycho), but Gemma simply expresses her condolences about Blythe losing Sam. If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($2, $3, or $5) or joining the Patreon!