The Push
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 thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she doesn't behave like most children do. Or is it all in Blythe's head? Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. Then their son Sam is born—and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth. For fans of Verity and We Need to talk about Kevin, The The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about The Push
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Blythe Connor is a new mother in a careful Toronto marriage when she has a daughter named Violet she cannot quite love. The novel is told as a long letter from Blythe to her ex-husband Fox, walking him through her grandmother, her own mother, and the years she watched Violet grow.
The Push was written by Ashley Audrain and published in 2021. It was Audrain's debut novel and a New York Times bestseller. The premise centers on a mother who suspects her young daughter is dangerous.
Yes. A film adaptation has been announced. As of 2025, the project remains in development.
The Push is 336 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Push takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
The Push is a standalone novel by Ashley Audrain, not part of a series.
The Push is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.