Fox has a son, Jet, with his new wife, Gemma. January 6, 2021. The book ends with Blythe standing on a rooftop, looking down at the street below, and its unclear what her next move will be. Blythe realizes that she misses the friendship. Thus, it appears Violet really may be a psychopath and Blythe, vindicated. WARNING: THIS SECTION CONTAINS BOOK SPOILERS! My new novel, historical fiction, has some darkness, too, but only at the end as the mystery arrives at a strange twist. Based on the 1929 Nella Larsen novel of the same name, Passing is the black-and-white feature directorial debut of Rebecca Hall (The Prestige). Cecilia dislikes being a mother, and she leaves permanently when Blythe is 12. All the women from her prenatal class merely talk about how rewarding motherhood is. Blythe and Gemma become close, but eventually Fox finds out Blythe has been pretending to be someone else to get close to Gemma. When Cecilia gets her period, she wakes Etta from her nap to tell her, but Etta merely gives her two pills and goes back to sleep. But The Push was consistently engrossing nonetheless and made me reconsider in some ways my own relationship with my mother, who Ive not always had the smoothest relationship with (and who, in turn, had very difficult relationships with her own parents). Great review! When Blythe insists it was Violet, Fox shushes Blythe, even when Blythe insists the stroller wouldnt roll over the sidewalk groove even if let go. "The Push" Book Ending Explained. I finished the book simply for the sake of Sam and Blythe. Violet didnt care much for Sam, but Sam adores Violet. The ending might be sad, or shocking, or some delicious blend of sad and shocking, but either way the end of the book has utterly ruined you and you are now a small pile of rubble lying in the . I dont want to give any spoilers by going into detail on specifics, but suffice to say that theres a lot of unfortunate events throughout the book. When their infant son Sam is killed, Blythe blames Violet. 2. Blythe is initially excited and starts taking prenatal classes. Afterwards, Foxs mother comforts Violet and comforts Blythe, telling her to hang in there. When Mrs. Ellington later tell her that you made him very happy to comfort her, Blythe thinks about how it is a kind lie. Blythe is shocked, knowing that the baby mustve been born in June, considering how Fox only moved out in January of that year. After being caught by Fox, Blythe decides to stops writing and focus on Violet. See Everything We Know About the 'The Push' Adaptation. For all of us. Blythe thinks Violet is violent and lacks empathy, but Fox thinks Blythe's insufficient love for Violet is the problem. . Blythe wants another baby, another chance at motherhood. Happy reading! Blythe struggles with Violet from the beginning, Blythe is exhausted, and motherhood proves far tougher than she anticipated. The Sandman . But for the big things, I think Audrain does a good job with aspects of the book that really matter like the plotting of it or the substance in digging deep into the difficulties and uncertainties of motherhood. Louis intends to go into medicine as well, but Ettas father insists that Louis help with farming so that Louis can later take over the hundreds of acres the family owns. A series based on this book will be HUGE success! Violet lies to make Blythe look bad, and she runs away while Blythe is watching her. [Violet is at it again. Moreover, Blythe didnt realize till now that it bothered Violet. By delving into these themes, Ashley Audrain has created a novel that is both gripping and thought-provoking. She tells Violet that shes happy that Violet has someone to talk to that she trusts, even if it isnt her. Soon, Louis dies in a farming accident when Etta is pregnant. She senses Violet prefers Fox, but Fox insists it's all in her head. Required fields are marked *. When Cecilia left for good, Mrs. Ellington stepped up to provide Blythe with some stability in her life. The Book: The Lies I Tell by Julie ClarkPublished June 21, 2022 by Sourcebooks LandmarkDate read: February 28, 2023 The Characters: MegKat [] Greer Hendricks / Sarah Pekkanen / Speedy Spoilers. Violet has trouble getting along with other kids and there's incidences of violence towards them, too. Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother: A third possible interpretation of the ending is that Blythe and Violet both survive, and Blythe learns to be a better mother. The first time Violet smiles is with Fox, who continues to insist she just needs to relax with the baby. 2 years ago. Blythe ends up watching their house to catch glimpses of her. With the new baby, the connection is immediate, what shes been looking for. She gets home to find that everything is fine. But when their second child, Sam, is later born, Blythe connects deeply with him and they share a beautiful love, until another questionable moment with Violet changes everything in their lives forever. Sounds a bit dark for me. After the divorce, Fox has custody, but Blythe has visitation rights. Violet throws a tantrum and ends up biting Blythe on the cheek. The Push Reader Q&A - Goodreads I actually only read it because one of my book clubs put it on the docket, and I wanted to be able to participate. March 12, 2023. The book ends by implying that Gemma suspects Violet has now harmed Jet. Blythe learns they had another son, Jet. She then does it again. Blythe is convinced she saw Violet push the stroller. After a particularly grueling day of kicking and screaming, Fox agrees to three days of day care a week. Their son, Thomas Ellington Jr., was Blythes best friend. He is supportive and thoughtful. Why do you think he is reluctant to send Violet to day care initially? Then there's Tunde (Toheeb Jimoh), a Nigerian man who begins to document the . She tells Cecilia where to find it, then shuts Cecilia in the tiny space and then Etta gets distracted. Questions that even those in the book may not have gotten answers to. As the date nears, Blythe becomes more unsure what whats to come. Two years after Blythes meeting with Cecilia and Richard, Seb tells Blythe that hes going to drop her off for lunch with Cecilia, who Blythe has not seen in the interim. Driven by curiosity, Blythe stalks their apartment to catch a glimpse of the unknown woman, and she ends up following her to a moms group meetup. Cecilia flips out. Even though they are not married, Gemma refers to Fox as her husband. The Push explores the differences between nature and nurture, and how the effects of motherhood can affect generations of family, including the marriages at their cores. Paperback: 336 pages. Their wedding bands previously belonged to Foxs great-grandmother, Violet. Spoilers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In the last lines of the book Blythe seems to have made peace and was moving on with her life. Without another word, Gemma rushes off. I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it :). They talk about kids in their future. 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. 10 Shocking Book Endings That Will Totally Ruin Your Life - Bustle So glad this book ended with our protaganist mom being sane and living life fairly happily alone without needing anyone--men or children in this case. Cecilia grows up and meets a man named Seb. Angel. Im interested to hear more about your interpretation and what you believe the actual ending is. Shortly before Foxs 39ths birthday, Blythe suspects Fox is having an affair. Before graduation, she stops off at home and asks him about her mother. Being snarky and ridiculing a person asking a sincere question is idiotic. The Push by Ashley Audrain began on Christmas Eve as Blythe watched Fox and Violet's new family from the street outside their house. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. Genre: Adult Psychological Thriller. Blythe thinks Violet is violent and lacks empathy, but Fox thinks Blythe's insufficient love for Violet is the problem. The Push: Recap & Book Summary - The Bibliofile General Hospital Spoilers: Tuesday, May 2 - Curtis Shocks Trina When Blythe attributes their marriage falling apart to Sams death, Fox tells her that Sam is not the reason, implying that it had more to do with Violet (and presumably he thinks Blythe was deficient as a mother towards her). Your email address will not be published. Blythe sees that its actually Fox who dropped it off and thanks him for it, but he also says that Blythe needs to move on with her life and not call Gemma anymore. I felt for her for the entire book. Soon, she starts to resents Fox for seeing her solely as Violet's caregiver, and Fox thinks Blythe is deficient as a mother. Then, in the final lines, she learns from Gemma that something has happened to Jet (with the implication that it was Violet's fault.). Passing: The Tragic Ending of the Netflix Movie, Explained - Screen Rant She also tells Blythe not to learn to be like her, and sees to regret that I dont know how to teach you to be anyone different. Violet typically wakes up and cries after napping for two hours, but Blythe puts on headphones and lets her cry for some time so that she can get some more work done. Do you think the portrayal is accurate, and do you think the way other mothers act toward each other has changed over the years? Blythe calls his mother, but she doesnt know anything about it (Blythe asks her not to say anything to Fox about their call). The Push manages the difficult feat of being genuinely satisfying in terms of substance and telling a compelling (and multi-generational) story, all while maintaining a "thriller"-type atmosphere without feeling like genre fiction. Why do you think Cecilia dislikes Mrs. Ellington? I didn't think it was her. She wonders if he could have done more to stop her from leaving. This post may also contain other affiliate links by which I earn commissions at no extra cost to you. Your email address will not be published. Yeah the internet has gotten really weird. Things improve with Fox. Blythe and Fox Connor meet as students in college. Etta finally forces Cecilia under the water, causing her to choke. The parents and their kids, one boy and one girl, are dressed up. When Fox goes in, Violet perks up and asks him to stay. I think the book shows how easily we raise evil people and how parents cannot see bad in their kids. They talked frequently. Etta suffered from moods and needed sedatives to calm her down. Days of Our Lives (DOOL) spoilers tease that Talia Hunter (Aketra Sevillian) will become increasingly torn about the mess she's gotten herself stuck in. Three months after the discovery of the affair, Blythe packs up Foxs things. Hope it will find a home on Goodread's bookshelves. Violet says to Blythe pointedly that the mother saves her son every time. After yelling, he storms off and when stopped, he pushes her. Blythe imagines what it would be like to leave all of it behind. Daughter. document.getElementById( "ak_js_9" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hello, and welcome to Wrote a Book! Gemma says that Jet ended up with a blade that mustve come from her house. After all, Blythes own mother often told her this about her family history: the women in their family are different. Plus Jace's loss of basically his whole family. Then, in the final lines, she learns from Gemma that something has happened to Jet (with the implication that it was Violet's fault.). This realization may be a turning point for Blythe, suggesting that she may be able to heal from her own trauma and build a healthier relationship with her daughter. I think you missed the actual ending. How did your perceptions of Blythe change as the book progressed or did it stay the same? I don't love cliffhangers so Margot's ending bothered me a bit" Something in me felt for Krissy the entire time. 3. Blythe suspects something is wrong with Violet, but Fox clearly thinks Blythe is the problem. In the final chapters, its suggested that Blythes mental state has worsened, and she may be at risk of harming herself. Blythe had watched as Violet tripped Elijah on the playset, ad Elijah had consequently fallen off the top slide and died. After the revelation of the betrayal, Blythe finds herself surprisingly numb to the pain given that she is still grieving over Sam. Then he tells Blythe that even so, Violet deserved more from Blythe, but that Blythe had deserved more from him as well. A month later, Violet returns to Blythes place, but things are cold between them again. When Blythe finally meets another new mom (with a baby named Harry) who admits to the difficulties of being a mom, she gives the other woman her phone number to keep in touch, but the other woman never reaches out. What do you make of that statement? The book ends with Gemma hysterical, calling Blythe to say something has happened to her son Jet. When Henry finally gets home, he staying home the next day to care for Cecilia and removes the door to the cellar completely. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The Push: A Novel. Cecilia cant imagine going back home to where Etta killed herself, so she has the baby. At the end of the day, The Push is a compelling novel that pushes us as a society to talk more about the darkest sides of motherhood and to be open to more interpretations to how women are supposed to feel about motherhood. The Push is a really well-crafted novel, and it would be so perfect as a book club read. Do you think Foxs mother handled things well? What follows is a longer driving sequence that hits . Cecilia continues to hide these things from Henry, and Etta brightens up when Henry is around. Its just really raw about that time in life, and I note most other reviews I have seen have said the same. When Blythe goes home, her father doesnt ask any questions, but Blythe tells him that it wasnt him who had made Cecilia unhappy (since its clear Cecilia is bored/unhappy with Richard as well). Cecilia grows up and meets a man named Seb. What do you think of Violets reactions to things? Blythe mourns her son, she believes her daughter was the one that killed him. The Push is published by Michael Joseph (RRP 12.99 . As Blythes relationship with Violet becomes increasingly strained, she begins to question her own sanity and fears that she may be repeating the cycle of abuse. Monster? I definitely think theres enough substance and more complex aspects of the novel that elevate it above what is typically considered misery lit, but sometimes as I was reading the vibe felt similar. Colleen Hoover's It Ends with Us: ending, explained - OkayBliss Blythe is convinced she saw Violet push the stroller. When Mrs. Smith dies, Cecilia takes the money, $680, that the old woman had stored in a tin. Afterwards, Blythe recalls how Violet had inquired about how streetlights work the weekend before. How did information about the generations of women preceding Blythe affect your perception of her? A woman observes a house where a family of four lives. Cecilia is scared and shits herself. Julie Clark | The Lies I Tell. When a boy falls off a playset and dies, Blythe suspects Violet tripped him on purpose. Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. The Push WILL make you feel uncomfortable in exploring that question, in a very necessary kind of way. Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. Join 750,000+ monthly readers in this virtual reading corner! The next day, the doctor attributes her action to normal parental anxiety. Later in the book, Blythe has a conversation with her own mother, during which she begins to understand the ways in which her mothers own trauma affected her parenting: I dont know if I can forgive you, I said But I understand now that you did the best you could with what you hadYou were just a kid, too, trying to survive. (Chapter 27). Fox doesnt want a funeral, so there isnt one. The fact that "smells" were so important to her was very interesting in the story.