The book raises important issues about the expectations placed on mothers, the impact of childhood trauma, and the need for support and understanding in our society. For financial reasons, Cecilia and Seb move out of the city and into his parents house in the suburbs. Push Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary 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. I think the book shows how easily we raise evil people and how parents cannot see bad in their kids. The ending of The Push confuses me. 3. Just when it seems Blythe has caused the downfall of the family, Gemma calls Blythe and informs her that something happened to Jet, implying that Violet has caused him harm. The next day, Cecilia leaves for good. As time passes, Blythe starts to doubt what she really saw that day and whether Violet really did push Sam. Without another word, Gemma rushes off. The Push manages the difficult feat of being genuinely satisfying in terms of substance and telling a compelling (and multi-generational) story, all while maintaining a "thriller"-type atmosphere without feeling like genre fiction. Yes, only on the internet and to answer where the internet would be without people asking question about books, the obvious answer is without Goodreads :-). It occurs to Blythe that Fox left her for a woman that he thought would be a better mother, the kind of woman you always wanted. I can relate to this, but I try not to find out. Their wedding bands previously belonged to Foxs great-grandmother, Violet. She admits it in the end but only to Blythe. "The Push" Book Ending Explained. Cecilia cant imagine going back home to where Etta killed herself, so she has the baby. One random day, Violet asks Blythe to stay with her one weekend. What shes thinking and feeling is isolating, dark, and raw, and it shines a light on parts of motherhood not often talked about. Would you feel differently about this book or these characters if there was no epilogue (the a year and a half later part)? Passing: The Tragic Ending of the Netflix Movie, Explained - Screen Rant It was okay in the sense that I couldn't put it down. Over the years, Cecilia continues to notice Ettas nerves acting up, and Etta would occasionally lock Cecilia out of the house. One night, Gemma is worried that Jeb is sick. I agree! The book tells the story of Blythe, a woman who struggles to connect with her daughter Violet and who is haunted by the memory of her own mothers neglect. Author: Ashley Audrain. That night, Blythe finds the painting of Mother and Child on Blythes doorstep with a note. 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? The Push - Book Ending Explained The divorce has happened, and Fox has custody of Violet. Meanwhile, Blythe is lonely at home. What do you make of that statement? Later in the book, 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: I dont know if I can forgive you, I said But I understand now that you did the best you could with what you hadYou were just a kid, too, trying to survive. (Chapter 27). Do you think Gemma was always being truthful with Blythe about her feelings for Violet? Finally, at one point Blythe grabs Violet arm hard enough to hurt her, and Fox cuts off visitation. This passage suggests that Blythe recognizes the impact of her own trauma on her parenting and is struggling to break the cycle of abuse. Also, maybe how mothers birth babies. Blythe tries to convince herself she mistook what she saw. Publication Date: January 4, 2022. He tells Blythe that hed actually caught Violet cutting them up. Sensing something more is going on, Blythe checks his e-mail and learns that he was fired over some type of incident, and it seems it involved his assistant Gemma in some way. She senses Violet prefers Fox, but Fox insists it's all in her head. Published on February 6, 2021. American Gods: Gods are made of stories. When the police make their standard inquiries, she denies seeing anything. What a bizarre way of approaching literature. After Fox leaves, Blythe secretly uses a fake name to befriend Fox's girlfriend, Gemma, to learn about their life. One day Fox comes home early to the sound of Violets cries, and he is furious. As the days pass, Blythe sees that Violets emptiness is back. When Blythe attributes their marriage falling apart to Sams death, Fox tells her that Sam is not the reason, implying that it had more to do with Violet (and presumably he thinks Blythe was deficient as a mother towards her). Blythe is convinced she saw Violet push the stroller. Thomass younger brother, Daniel, adored her. Cecilia grows up and meets a man named Seb. Two years after Blythes meeting with Cecilia and Richard, Seb tells Blythe that hes going to drop her off for lunch with Cecilia, who Blythe has not seen in the interim. I felt for her for the entire book. She finally goes back to the intersection where it happened and sees Joe, who owns the coffee shop at that corner. But Violets behavior seems off. Blythe thinks Violet hates her and may even be malicious. She is haunted by memories of her mothers abusive behavior and struggles to connect with Violet because she fears repeating the same patterns of abuse: I couldnt shake the feeling that I was repeating the same patternsthat I was becoming the monster that I had always fearedI didnt know how to love Violet the way that she needed to be loved. (Chapter 13). She also tells Blythe not to learn to be like her, and sees to regret that I dont know how to teach you to be anyone different. I still wonder if Gemma suspected she was more. One night Violet asks if Blythe loves Sam more than her, and Blythe wonders if she has overheard Foxs comments. The note is from Gemma and it says that Fox had the painting up in Violets room, but Gemma thinks Blythe should have it since it clearly means so much to her. Blythes husband, Fox, abruptly dismisses her fears. I thought, Im not really interested in this, but its relatively short so whatever. Blythe had watched as Violet tripped Elijah on the playset, ad Elijah had consequently fallen off the top slide and died. As Blythe grieves, she stays in bed. Days of Our Lives Spoilers: Colin's Rooftop Tumble - Talia's Bold Push Morgan Hedglin Yes! Afterwards, she tells Violet that shes the closest thing she had to a mother. Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother: A third possible interpretation of the ending is that Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother. I dont want to give any spoilers by going into detail on specifics, but suffice to say that theres a lot of unfortunate events throughout the book. document.getElementById( "ak_js_8" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); In this blog post, we will dive deep into the ending of The Push and explore some of the possible meanings and implications. It was an interesting read. Violet hints to Blythe that theres a reason Fox has prevented this meeting from happening. Blythe was such a likeable character--proof that just because your own parents [emailprotected], doesn't mean you will too. In love with books? This book is so good. The Bibliofile's review of The Push by Ashley Audrain. She pushed her real brother Sam's stroller killing him and now she has done something to her half-brother Jet. What if motherhood is not what a woman anticipated it to be? It has been a year and a half since shed spoken to Fox. Why do you think Cecilia dislikes Mrs. Ellington? Fox has a son, Jet, with his new wife, Gemma. Blythe is surprised that Violet accepts the change surprisingly well, and things are better in the house for a while. Thus, it appears Violet really may be a psychopath and Blythe, vindicated. Being snarky and ridiculing a person asking a sincere question is idiotic. Caroline wrote: "That ending devastated me. Here are a few possible explanations: 1. As the girl looks out the window, she sees the woman parked on the street. 2023 The Literary Lifestyle. Cecilia tells Seb she wants an abortion, but Seb refuses to discuss it, offering only the alternative of her moving out and back home. Things improve with Fox. Spoiler warning: these summaries contains spoilers. Did the ending change your assessment of her reliability as a narrator? This passage suggests that Blythe is struggling to maintain a sense of identity and that she feels like shes losing herself. When Fox goes in, Violet perks up and asks him to stay. When Blythe and Fox have their second child, a boy named Sam, Blythe's connection with him is immediate, and she adores him. They talked frequently. Read it and you will not be disappointed. Blythe thinks Violet is violent and lacks empathy, but Fox thinks Blythe's insufficient love for Violet is the problem. ), When the phone rings, Blythe is hopeful that it is Violet on the line. There, Blythe meets a woman named Iris, who she likes immediately. Soon, Fox says hes resigning from his job. Blythe planned to give Fox a manuscript that shared her "side of the story . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But that didn't bother me. She often feels overwhelmed and frustrated by Violets defiance and resistance. The Push kept me guessing. Then there's Tunde (Toheeb Jimoh), a Nigerian man who begins to document the . By delving into these themes, Ashley Audrain has created a novel that is both gripping and thought-provoking. In the final chapters, Blythe has a moment of clarity and realizes that Violet has been trying to communicate with her in her own way: I think shes been trying to tell me something all alongI just didnt know how to listen. (Chapter 28). Blythes deception gets increasingly complex when Gemma asks to see a photo of Sam. Prior to Penguin, she worked at a global public relations agency in consumer . Blythe becomes pregnant after theyve been trying for a few months. Required fields are marked *. She searches all around but it finally turns out that a truck driver had picked her up at the side of the road Violet had tried to run away. [I don't feel like there was a good answer, so I'll throw in my 2 cents. 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? She asks Joe if he saw the accident, and he merely says that he was glad she had Violet to live for (indicating that if he did see it, then he thought it was Blythes fault). What did you think of Blythes relationship with Foxs mother? There were periods of time when Etta managed to act the way others expected her to be. The woman in the car thinks about her daughter (the girl) is beginning to look like her. Later, Cecilia tries to pick a fight with Cecilia to get a reaction, but Henry comes home and she leaves. Great exploration of nature vs nurture. Despite the difficulties she has faced, Blythe has not given up on her daughter or herself. Later, Violet mentions that shes going to hurt a boy she dislikes, Noah. One of the messages she urgently conveys is, after all, that this reproduction business does not end simply, or easily - or, indeed, ever. Blythe struggles with Violet from the beginning, Blythe is exhausted, and motherhood proves far tougher than she anticipated. She was someone else entirely, someone who felt like she was fading away into nothingness. (Chapter 22). When Fox gets home, they both downplay the incident. Join our community of book lovers and receive the best book recommendations straight to your inbox . I came here wondering if I can read this book. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Despite knowing it is bad advice, Blythe strongly advises Gemma to go to the hospital immediately and leave Violet. Then, in the final lines, she learns from Gemma that something has happened to Jet (with the implication that it was Violet's fault.). Throughout the book, Blythe struggles to connect with Violet and to understand her daughters behavior. When her mother doesnt know, he insists that Blythe find it, and Blythe senses that theyve pushed Cecilia too far. I enjoyed the book, but yes, kids die so it can be upsetting. Content warning: While I LOVED The Push and VERY highly recommend it, new or expecting moms should be warned before picking it up. The ending is sad and scary to me. Blythe mourns her son, she believes her daughter was the one that killed him. How did you think things were going to play out with Violet as the book went along? 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. Do you think he was a good husband and/or a good father? WARNING: THIS SECTION CONTAINS BOOK SPOILERS! By Angie Barry. 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. Blythe knows Fox wouldnt like that, so she settles on taking long walks with Violet. 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. Cecilia grows up and meets a man named Seb. When the baby is born, Blythe feels euphoric. The last conversation that Blythe has with her ex-friend and Fox's wife is bone-chilling and made my mouth drop. Welcome back. Blythe struggles with Violet, who cries all the time and doesnt latch well, and Blythe thinks the baby hates her. Did this story make you reflect on your personal experiences, and if so how? Three months after the discovery of the affair, Blythe packs up Foxs things. Refresh and try again. Summary and Review: The Push by Ashley Audrain - The Bibliofile Is there a clear conclusion that can even be drawn? Blythe and Gemma become close, but eventually Fox finds out Blythe has been pretending to be someone else to get close to Gemma. The one-paragraph summary of this book: Blythe and Fox have a daughter, Violet. Fox has a son, Jet, with his new wife, Gemma. Spoilers For Every Book Ever | Tor.com Violets teacher asks Blythe to help chaperone a school trip, and Blythe reluctantly agrees. Afterwards, Blythe settles into a routine, but she still struggles to find other moms who are willing to admit that motherhood is difficult. Cecilia continues to hide these things from Henry, and Etta brightens up when Henry is around. Etta is also said to have suffered from nerves and occasionally needed sedatives. Its not a perfect book, and there are things you could nitpick about it if you were inclined to do so. In The Push, Blythe Connor is a woman who is trying desperately to be the perfect mother that everyone else seems to be, but she's struggling. I need to know how it ends before I decide if I want to read it. Then, Violet turns around and walks home. When Violet is three, Blythe comes back to home after a weekend away and checks on Violet. Blythe is concerned, noting that she has been cruel to other kids, while Fox brushes it off as a developmental phase where she is testing boundaries. I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it :). But this book disconcerted me so much I had to stop at one-third of it and give up (at least for now). I felt like this book was about refuting the idea that motherhood is this inherently blissful joyride and that women should find it endlessly fulfilling, that they should want to abandon their careers to solely mother their kids, that there's a special bond between mothers and their children that transcends . At one point, Cecilia tells a young Blythe that theres a lot about ourselves that we cant changeits just the way were born. At one point, Blythes expensive clothes had gone missing after they tried out a new cleaning company. Etta finally forces Cecilia under the water, causing her to choke. What follows is a longer driving sequence that hits . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As Blythe grieves, Blythe and Fox's marriage disintegrates, ending with Fox's infidelity. Seb insists they have the baby (Blythe). Blythe suggests having Violet see a child psychologist, but Fox thinks the Violet is coping well so it is unnecessary. Cecilia knows she is beautiful and heads to the city and meets Seb, who is a doorman at a fancy hotel. For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary. Publisher: Penguin Books. The man had, in turn, responded that Sebs wife was is the cheater, and he said Seb was weak, which is why she left him. This sort of hand-wringing, at its most extreme, is at the center of Ashley Audrain's taut, chilling debut novel, "The Push.". So glad this book ended with our protaganist mom being sane and living life fairly happily alone without needing anyone--men or children in this case. If you are expecting constant plot twists and a hundred miles per hour plot pacing, you might want to shift those expectations before getting into this book. The author captured it beautifully and so accurately in the beginning. Overall I did enjoy this and would definitely check out more from Audrain in . In the last lines of the book Blythe seems to have made peace and was moving on with her life. How did information about the generations of women preceding Blythe affect your perception of her? Hi Anna, thank you for sharing your comment. So, lets unravel the mystery and try to make sense of what really happened in The Push. Blythe recalls how after Cecilia left their home, she reinvented herself and met a new man, Richard, who referred to her as Annie because her middle name was Anne. Blythe thinks to herself about how she and Cecilia broke his heart (by leaving him behind). For days she works on it and finally presents it to Cecilia. January 6, 2021. As someone without children, motherhood is not something I spend a lot of time thinking about, and to be totally honest, I generally avoid books that are focused on things like that because they dont tend to grab my attention. Im passionate about inspiring busy women to read more and live better. When she goes to tell Fox, he has a gift for her and she doesnt say anything to avoid upsetting him. Instead, it is Gemma. The title: Dark Secrets, A Legacy of Memories from 1939 Sweden. The Push: Mother. Book review and synopsis for The Push by Ashley Audrain, a tense domestic drama slash thriller about motherhood and a woman who is struggling under the pressure to be a "good mother". Etta suffered from moods and needed sedatives to calm her down. Three months after the accident, the Connors move to a new house, and Blythe hopes a change will be good for them. She tells Cecilia where to find it, then shuts Cecilia in the tiny space and then Etta gets distracted.
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