Hello, my name is Staci Stanton and welcome to Read Local, my video book review for In the Stacks. Today’s review is Ashley Audrian’s debut novel The Push which is also a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Purchase the book one Bookshop here.

This novel is about mothers or more accurately, women who find themselves in the role of having a child, complicated by circumstances beyond their control. Blythe’s mother left her when she was a young girl and she vows to prove she was different when her own daughter, Violet is born. Much to her dismay but not total surprise, Blythe does not have the close relationship with her child she always dreamed of.  As Blythe grapples with the expectations of motherhood, we learn more about her own mother and grandmother’s struggles. The Push is a page-turner where you can’t help but wonder if Blythe is a victim of a legacy of troubled mothers or if her daughter is actually the reason for their strained relationship. Check out The Push by Ashley Audrian in the stacks at your local library.