? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

The Push : Ashley Audrain’s debut novel is a hard pill to swallow. While most mothers know the dark side of motherhood, Blythe Connor seems to have crossed a threshold. When she has her daughter, Violet, she and her husband Fox are over the moon. The smitten father bonds immediately with the angelic-looking child. Blythe, on the other hand? Not so much. Is it a classic case of postpartum depression? Maybe. We are inclined to believe that particularly as the narrative is interspersed with flashbacks from Blythe’s own childhood as well as her mother’s and grandmother’s: The protagonist’s matriarchal line is rife with complicated characters, emotions, and unsettling behaviors. But also, we are confronted with the issue of Violet’s strange and calculated behavior, Blythe’s transformation when her maternal instincts only kick in smoothly when she gives birth to baby boy Sam, and finally, a senseless tragedy that completely upends the family. Is Blythe an unfit mother, or is Violet a peculiarly difficult child to parent?

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