Madeline
The Push has positioned itself as a thriller; however, do not expect to pick this book up and read a thriller. It takes quite a bit of reading to begin to realize why it might even be labelled a thriller. The story starts as a women with trying to navigate postpartum depression. As the book unfolds and stories start to come out, the thriller part is still stays behind the curtain. The story is just about a women’s struggle with her daughter, which is not the typical storyline of a thriller book. It is not until the last line of the book, that it is obvious why this book is categorized as a thriller.
The Premise of The Push
Blythe has wanted a child all her life and when she finally has her first daughter, Violet, she cannot grow to love this little being the way she expected. She is suppose to feel all her heart for this child and just cannot get herself to get there. Then she has a son, Sam, and Blythe now gets what motherhood is suppose to be about. This is what a mother is suppose to feel for a child. But what does that mean for her love for Violet? Isn’t she suppose to love her children the same?
Then, in a freak accident, Sam, the child Blythe has a bond with, is killed at one year old. And every time she thinks about it and runs the series of events through her head, Blythe can only blame Violet for the death. But is it because Violet is really to blame or is it because of the feelings Blythe has not so fuzzy feelings for her daughter. The entire premise of this book, not being able to love a child, causes me to wonder if this is the practical reason to not have children?
Is The Push The Practical Reason To Not Have Children?
As a childless person, it is difficult for me to make a comment on having children and not having children. All my knowledge of the subject is antidotal from my friends with children. From what I have heard, some of what The Push brings to light is real. Having a mischievous child who the mother is forced to like, and for sure love can be difficult. Being able to bond with a child that feels like an obligation rather than something that seems like it should be easy. From an early age, I had never thought I would be a mother and based on the themes in this book, my decision has been nearly solidified.
Final Thoughts
The Push started as a women who could not feel the love for her daughter as she felt she should have. In reading The Push, it felt like the fear of not loving a child is a practical reason to not have children. All the while the childless reader could only agree with my own decisions about not having children. Then the book got dark. Really dark.
