The Push - Ashley Audrain - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Ashley Audrain

GENRE: Psychological Drama

PUBLICATION DATE: January 5, 2021

RATING: 4.5 stars.

I can't believe that this is a debut novel! I've not read such crisp writing in the psychological fiction genre since ages.

The story broadly covers four generations of mothers/daughters: Etta, Cecilia, Blythe, and Violet. But no, don't picture this as a family saga, it is far from it. The central narrator is the book is Blythe, with Etta and Cecelia's stories primarily told through flashbacks. Blythe tries her best to be the perfect mom but she has a deep dark secret: the women in her family have not been known for their mothering skills. Add to this her worry that her little daughter Violet seems to have inherited a disposition that Blythe finds unbelievable and unmanageable. I'll not reveal much of the story because anything more than this will be a spoiler.

What makes the narrative somewhat unique is that Blythe's narration is mainly in second person, addressed to her husband. It takes a little time to get used to this unusual narrative voice but once you get attuned to it, you realise the brilliance of the writing. The second person causes you to feel much more involved, almost as if the author is speaking directly to you. It adds to the psychological impact of the book. I'm sure I wouldn't have enjoyed the book as much were it in the usual first or third person narratives.

After the first few chapters itself, it becomes very clear that the author has to be a mother. No other woman could have identified with and poured out with complete honesty the anxieties and tribulations of motherhood. I loved the starkness of the portrayal. It is such a pleasure to read about ladies struggling to be the perfect superwomen that society expects of all mothers. You can see that Blythe has her flaws and yet you sympathise with her.

The entire book is composed of very short chapters. This further increases the speed at which you will gobble up the story, and that's a relief because it's almost impossible to keep this book aside once you begin.

Another thing I enjoyed was how unapologetic the writing is regarding its lead characters. There is no attempt to justify any of the characters' selfish attributes. They are how they are, and that's how it is. The background is provided, the understanding is in our hands. Good psychological books know how to hook the reader, with their pulse firmly on pace, structure and character development. This book hits the mark on all three counts.

That's not to say that the book is without its faults. If you are looking for surprise twists, that's not going to happen. (Though I must admit, there are plenty of horrifying moments!) This book isn't a thriller but a psychological drama. Though you know what's happening, and can possibly even predict what's going to happen, you still watch the proceedings mesmerized; you won't be able to look away right till the end, though you can see where the story is going very clearly.

Overall, I feel that this was a brilliant first book, and certainly one of the best debut novels I've read in ages. Read it not for thrills but for chills, because the human psyche as revealed in this novel is dark and troubling.

I'll definitely wait for more of Ashley Audrain's works. She seems like an author to look out for.