The Push Review

“The Push” is a sinister psychological thriller about an agonized mother. The protagonist, Blythe is an insecure mother and happens to be always questioning herself about various incidents that are happening in her life about her children. She constantly fears that her preschool daughter is a sociopath. But is she? Or is Blythe just imagining things?

Blythe is reluctant on becoming a mother because of her family history. “The women in this family . . . we’re different,” her mother tells Blythe as a child. Blythe worries she’s inherited damaged DNA when it comes to mothering. Her mother leaves her when she was 11 and her grandmother committed suicide by hanging on a tree.

The story starts with Blythe gazing at the window of her ex-husband Fox’s home where he is dancing with his second wife and playing with their adorable toddler son. The thing that keeps Blythe worried is Violet, an adolescent daughter she and Fox share. She feels differently about baby Violet. She is the only mother who looked down at her daughter and thought, Please, Go away.”

Her relationship with Violet worsens as she grows old. One day when a young child standing next to Violet on a play structure falls and dies, Blythe becomes even more suspicious. But Fox, who always wants to protect their daughter, refuses to consider it. And since Blythe herself is a bit unstable, it’s hard to decide whose side to take.

When their second child is born, Blythe thinks everything will change and they will become a real family. But does it? Do take a read to find out! Overall this is a new kind of thriller that I read in recent times. It is a gripping, stimulating, page-turner that turns out to be deliciously disturbing sometimes.