The Push - by Ashley Audrain (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' 50 BEST THRILLERS OF THE 21st CENTURY

WINNER OF THE CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA BEST FIRST CRIME NOVEL AWARD - SHORTLISTED FOR THE RAKUTEN KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE - A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

"Original and compulsively readable." --Kristin Hannah

"Set my nerves jangling. Not to be missed." --Lisa Jewell

"Utterly addictive." --Paula Hawkins

"[A] taut, chilling debut." --The New York Times

"As suspenseful as any thriller, as thoughtful as any literary
novel. . . . Stunning." --Toronto Star

"A provocative, compulsive novel about modern motherhood."
--Vogue

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--and everything she feared

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby, Violet, that she herself never had.

But in the exhaustion of early motherhood, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter.

Or is it all in Blythe's head? The more her husband, Fox, dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity.

Then their son, Sam, is born--and with him Blythe has the blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. But when their lives are changed in an instant, the devastating fallout forces Blythe to face the truth.

The Push is an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

Review Quotes

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

*WINNER OF THE 2022 CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA'S BEST CRIME FIRST NOVEL AWARD*
*SHORTLISTED for the 2022 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize*

One of:
CBC's "Five Canadian books we can't wait to read in 2021"
Marie Claire's "2021 Book Releases to Pre-Order and Thank Yourself Later"
CrimeReads's "Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2021"
LitHub's "Most Anticipated Books of 2021"
Good Morning America's Book Club Picks
Jamie Lee Curtis's favourite 2022 reads
Book Riot's "12 Great Mysteries and Thrillers About Mother-Child Relationships"
Woman's World's "14 Unputdownable Thrillers"
BookTrib's "5 Thrillers Brimming with Family Secrets"

Praise for The Push

"[A] taut, tense thriller . . . [and] chilling debut."
--The New York Times

"[A] stunning, compelling read. . . . Written with an unflinching eye and a stylistically sharp, tight economy The Push is a single-sitting read, as suspenseful as any thriller, as thoughtful as any literary novel, with an almost physical force behind each of its turns and revelations. By the end, the reader will feel wrung out in the way only the best of books leaves you. Audrain's debut is a stunning, devastating novel and, frankly, one hell of a way to start a year of reading."
--Toronto Star

"Audrain cleverly examines and exploits women's near-universal anxiety that they won't measure up to some internalized standard of maternal perfection dictated by society. . . But what makes it stand out from the rest is Audrain's nuanced understanding of how women's voices are discounted, how a thousand little slights can curdle a solid marriage and--in defiance of maternal taboos--how mothers really feel, sometimes, toward difficult children. . . . The Push [is] more than a novel of suspense, the sum of its parts speaking to the burdens we all carry, whether we are mothers or simply children of women who did the best they could, however far their best efforts may have fallen short."
--Los Angeles Times

"Utterly addictive."
--Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

"Starkly original and compulsively readable, Ashley Audrain's The Push is a deep dive into the darkest nooks and crannies of motherhood. Raw, visceral, and often disturbing, this is an intense psychological drama that will be embraced by serious book clubs and fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin."
--Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The Push was a poetic, propulsive read that set my nerves jangling in both horror and recognition. I read it in one sitting and it stayed with me for days afterwards. Not to be missed."
--Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

"With its riveting prose and deep convictions, Ashley Audrain's The Push had me in its clutches from the first page. Audrain's astute portrayal of motherhood was unsettling in its insights, yet highly entertaining on the page. Complex, nuanced, and unflinching, I inhaled this debut in one sitting."
--Karma Brown, bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife

"Intensely absorbing, gripping until the final page, The Push excavates the myths of motherhood, deftly exploring the shape-shifting landscape of parenting, the powerful impact of the past on the present, and the deep unease of our inability to ever fully know even those we hold the closest."
--Kim Edwards, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter

"The Push is written on the edge of a knife. It's a howl in the face of what we think we know--or want to believe--about motherhood. Relentlessly compelling, distressing and beautiful, Ashley Audrain's debut is the next Gone Girl, with shades of We Need to Talk About Kevin. I devoured it whole."
--Marissa Stapley, bestselling author of The Last Resort

"Stayed up too late finishing [Audrain's] deeply unsettling The Push about the darkest reaches of motherhood (and profound maternal ambivalence). Visceral, provocative, compulsive, and with the most graphic and relatable description of childbirth I've read (or written)."
--Sarah Vaughan, bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal

"Ashley Audrain's The Push is not only a propulsively entertaining, read-in-one-sitting novel, it is also a deeply provocative and fearless look at motherhood written in some of the prettiest prose you'll read all year."
--Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

"Written with a courage that borders on audacity, and with uncanny emotional and psychological precision, Ashley Audrain's The Push is a taut, tour-de-force literary thriller that draws you in from the very first pages and plunges you into the most harrowing of journeys: parenthood."
--Bill Clegg, New York Times bestselling author of Did You Ever Have A Family?

"A tense and unsettling thriller that's immersive, chilling, and provocative. A book that's best read in one sitting."
--Iain Reid, author of I'm Thinking of Ending Things

"A meteoric debut. Ashley Audrain's The Push is a force of nature, an unforgettable arrival that will linger in your heart--shimmer, darken and then haunt you. Every sentence is just so achingly alive. Audrain descends with near pointillistic precision into the gore of motherhood and love. Perhaps if Stephen King had experienced motherhood--the singular exaltation and morbid terror of that state--he might have been able to dream up this book. Wise, monstrous, and tender, The Push operates at a different frequency. It seemed to pulse in my hands. I could not put it down. I could not look away."
--Claudia Dey, author of Heartbreaker and Stunt

"Compelling, beautifully written and wickedly entertaining. . . . A tremendously thought-provoking read."
--Liz Nugent, author of Little Cruelties and Lying in Wait

"Utterly mesmerising. Ashley Audrain's powerful debut novel explores the challenges of motherhood and the terrifying isolation of being trapped within a sinister truth that no one else believes."
--Fiona Valpy, #1 bestselling digital author of The Dressmaker's Gift

"A chilling and beautifully written novel that will strike dread into the heart of any new parent. The ending gave me goosebumps."
--Mark Edwards, bestselling digital author of The House Guest

"I cannot recall the last time I read a novel as haunting as The Push. It is challenging, moving and thought provoking in all the best ways."
--David Heyman, film producer of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

"I was completely engrossed in The Push from the very first page. So tense, so all-encompassing! It's a jet-black story of motherhood, inheritance and expectations, and I loved it."
--Abigail Dean, author of Girl A

"A provocative, compulsive novel about modern motherhood."
―Vogue

"[A] twisty, harrowing ride to the dark side of motherhood. . . . [The Push] is a sterling addition to the burgeoning canon of bad seed suspense, from an arrestingly original new voice."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[T]ense, gripping . . . [The Push] will stay with you long after you finish the last page."
--Refinery29

"An utterly gripping novel that goes deep into the psychology of motherhood. Audrain begins by placing two facets of motherhood before us: first, that baby girls already have the capacity for motherhood within them--in their ovaries--in utero; and second, that girls and women are told not only that they will be mothers but that they will be good mothers. Female biology gets entangled with a woman's fate, and The Push digs into this mess in a jaw-dropping way."
--Martha Sharpe, founder of Flying Books

"Both an absorbing thriller and an intense, profound look at the heartbreaking ways motherhood can go wrong, [The Push] is sure to provoke discussion."
--Booklist

"[A] thrilling debut."
--Harper's Bazaar

"[The Push is] a grippingly tense page-turner that will challenge what you know about motherhood and tell the story of what happens when no one believes a desperate woman."
--BlogTO

"The Push is a dazzling exercise in both economy of language and vividness of expression... [it] announces Audrain as a sophisticated, compelling writer, perfect for fans of thrillers and intimate family dramas alike."
--BookPage

"A gripping debut that explores and manipulates the fears and insecurities of mothers everywhere . . . Well thought out, vividly realised and gripping."
―Guardian (UK)

"An inventive twist on the psychological thriller formula . . . Audrain sustains the suspense expertly through assured handling of her unravelling protagonist's voice."
―Sunday Times (UK)

"Ashley dares us to find the relatable in the worst we can imagine . . . the knife-edge between relatability and horror keeps the reader hooked."
―Grazia

"I was gripped from the first word to the last. I've been wanting a book to take me back to how I felt when I first read We Need to Talk About Kevin. When you close the book but can't function until you know how it ends . . . I really recommend this one."
--Dawn O'Porter

"I was gripped . . . dazzling and gloriously complete."
--Daisy Buchanan

"A compelling, compulsively readable thriller that never lets up and will keep you guessing right to the very last page."
―Daily Express

"Powerful and immersive."
--Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters

"Audrain is a master of tense writing and manages to capture your senses in a whirlwind of spine-tingling horror. Her ability to tell a story is unparallel and she effortlessly enchants the reader with a gripping tale, which will have you flying through this book in no time."
--The South African

"The Push is at once a harrowing thriller and a larger examination of the complex relationships between parents and children."
--Danya Kufafka, bestselling author of Girl in Snow

"An international bestseller, Ashley has crafted a page-turning psychological drama about a woman whose worst fears come true when she becomes a mother."
--Literary Hub

"A chilling story."
--CrimeReads

"This is a breathtakingly honest portrayal of motherhood that sent shivers down my spine. Ashley Audrain writes with such brevity and beauty that I couldn't put the book down."
--Salma El-Wardany, author of These Impossible Things

"[E]erie to the point where it gives you goosebumps, and it's basically impossible to stop reading until you get to the very end."
--Buzzfeed

"The Push will haunt you in the best possible way."
--Mama Mia (Australia)

About the Author

ASHLEY AUDRAIN's debut novel, The Push, was a New York Times, Sunday Times, and #1 international bestseller, and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. It has sold in more than forty territories, and a limited television series is currently in development. Her second novel, The Whispers, was also a #1 international bestseller. The Things You'll Never Know is forthcoming in January 2027. Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada, and prior to that she worked in public relations. She lives in Toronto.