BOOK OF THE WEEK 8.5/10

The Push by Ashley Audrain. Published by Michael Joseph, £12.99

Ashley Audrain currently lives in Toronto, Canada, with her partner and two young children. As well as being involved in PR, Ashley also previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Now, her debut novel The Push has just been published – and we’ve had a sneak peek of what’s to come. Written primarily in a second person narrative, The Push is a novel that explores an aching, tender account of motherhood, loss, relationships and grief.

Ashley includes a quote from Layne Redmond at the beginning which, as becomes clear later in the book, sets the perfect precedent for what’s to follow: “We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother’s blood before she herself is even born…”

The novel opens with a slightly ominous feel. An as yet unintroduced figure eerily watches a family in their home from a distance and tensions increase as one of the young children spots the person watching.

Then, the story unfolds. It’s based around the viewpoint of Blythe who has written an extensive memoir that divulges her trials in both her personal and family life over several years.

Struggles with her writing career and divorcing her husband both play prominent roles in her story, but above all, it is her experiences of motherhood which come strikingly to the fore.

She had hoped the birth of her daughter Violet would be everything a mother could dream for.

Yet, Blythe is convinced her child feels no connection with her at all. The loss of her second child exacerbates the issue and slowly Blythe loses her grip on her family and her sanity.

Blythe’s story will speak to thousands of mothers who, in reality, may not have had a picture-perfect experience of motherhood.

Ashley’s writing is unflinchingly honest, which correlates perfectly with Blythe’s volatile emotional state. Violet as a character is also conjured up expertly and this infuses the book with a dark, psychological element.

There are also several harrowing interludes which go back several years to explore the difficulties Blythe’s grandmother faced with motherhood.

This is where Redmond’s quote at the beginning starts coming into play and we learn that Blythe’s struggles aren’t just hers, but they’ve been passed down from generations of mothers before her.

The Push is a thought-provoking novel that delves deep into the emotional crevices of motherhood and exposes the pain and toil that all too often remain hidden from the outside world.