By Ashley Audrain ★★★★★
Blythe and Fox Connor are college classmates who fall in love, get married, and eventually start a family. But from the moment their daughter Violet emerges from the womb, Blythe never seems to connect with her. What makes it even harder is that Fox and Violet get along swimmingly. Like any first time parent would, Blythe wonders if she’s doing something wrong, and consults friends, books, support groups, and the like to try to find answers. And the most common answer is, “Don’t worry, it will get better.”
But what should she do when it doesn’t get better? And what happens when it becomes more than a lack of connection, and Blythe starts to wonder if her child isn’t just different, but maybe truly a bad kid? When a tragedy strikes the family, these questions that Blythe had secretly harbored bubble up to the surface and start to tear the family apart. To compound the challenge for Blythe, Fox doesn’t see the same things Blythe does -- is he blinded by his love for his daughter, or is Blythe losing her mind?
First-time novelist Ashley Audrain uses the “unreliable narrator” to perfection in this work, and for those of us along for the ride, the pendulum certainly swings back and forth on who and what to believe. In addition to the compelling central plot around Violet, Audrain does a lovely job of recapping the evolution of Blythe and Fox’s relationship from its start, including all of the little insignificant moments that help contribute to how they relate to (and trust) each other. That allows her to then chip away at that foundation through the challenges of their very different shared parenting experiences. While at times frustrating and even tough to read, The Push was thought-provoking, entertaining, and wholly satisfying by its end.
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Next Best of 2021: #6 - Great Circle