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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Utterly addictive’ PAULA HAWKINS

‘Like The Girl on the Train – but better!’ DAILY MAIL

‘A blockbusting debut about the dark side of motherhood. Gripping, clever, vividly realised . . . the ending left me flabbergasted’ GUARDIAN

‘I read it in one sitting. Not to be missed’ LISA JEWELL

A Book to Watch in 2021! As selected by:
Grazia, Vogue, Red, Stylist, Marie Claire, Sunday Mirror, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Sun, Hello!, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Porter

‘An inventive twist on the psychological thriller formula. Audrain sustains the suspense expertly’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘I can’t stop thinking and talking about it . . . it has absolutely blown me away’ CANDICE BRATHWAITE

‘I was gripped from the first word to the last. I’ve been wanting a book to take me back to how I felt when I first read We Need to Talk About Kevin. That full body experience of reading, when you close the book but can’t function until you know how it ends . . . I really recommend this one’ DAWN O’PORTER

‘Powerful and immersive’ EMMA STONEX, author of The Lamplighters

AS RECOMMENDED ON BBC RADIO 2
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‘I think she pushed him,’ I said to you quietly. ‘I think she pushed him . . .’

The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life. But as soon as I held her in my arms I knew something wasn’t right.

I had always known that the women in my family aren’t meant to be mothers.

My husband Fox says I’m imagining it. He tells me I’m nothing like my own mother, and that Violet is the sweetest child.

But she’s different with me. Something feels very wrong.

Is it her? Or is it me? Is she the monster? Or am I?

The Push is an unsettling, breathtaking and powerful read about obsession and our deepest fears that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
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**Nominated for two Goodreads Choice Awards**

‘Taut, chilling, executed with gripping precision. Audrain nimbly stokes the mystery’ New York Times

‘A suspenseful thriller. Will have you in its grips from the very first page – and stay with you long after you’ve put it down. Do not miss’ Heat

‘Suspenseful, dark and intriguing . . . essential for book groups’ Stylist

‘Unsettling, visceral, provocative, compulsive’ Sarah Vaughan

‘The most thought-provoking exploration of motherhood since We Need to Talk About Kevin’ Clare Pooley, bestselling author of The Authenticity Project

‘Fans of ‘mum noir’ are in for a treat’ Daily Mail

‘Audrain sustains the suspense expertly through assured handling of her unravelling protagonist’s voice’ Sunday Times

**Soon to be adapted for the screen by the producer of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Marriage Story and Gravity**

Publisher Review

Written with an unflinching eye and a stylistically sharp, tight economy The Push is a single-sitting read, as suspenseful as any thriller, as thoughtful as any literary novel, with an almost physical force behind each of its turns and revelations. By the end, the reader will feel wrung out in the way only the best of books leaves you. Audrain's debut is a stunning, devastating novel and, frankly, one hell of a way to start a year of reading * Toronto Star * Included in 'Books for 2021' * Sun * Reminiscent of We Need to Talk About Kevin, Ashley Audrain has delivered a provocative, compulsive novel about modern motherhood * Vogue UK * [An] exploration of love, obsession and the dark truths of motherhood * Cosmopolitan, Best Books 2021 * Buckle up for a riveting read . . . will have you alternately whizzing through the pages to see what happens next, and reading slowly with widened eyes * Prima, 'My Book of the Month' * A creepy, nuanced story that, with a growing sense of dread, subverts the ideals of motherhood so often presented as inviolable * Publishers Association * This psychological family drama will be your next one-sit read . . . you won't want to miss it * Silversurfers * This chilling tale barrels along towards a dark, thought-provoking ending * Good Housekeeping * Powerful and immersive -- Emma Stone, author of The Lamplighters A terrifying, psychological suspense tale of motherhood and nature versus nurture * Sunday Mirror * The chilling novel that caused a bidding frenzy more than lives up to the hype * Red Online * 'Best books to look forward to in 2021' * Cosmopolitan * Visceral, compulsive and astonishing. I could not put this down -- Raynor Winn, bestselling author of The Salt Path A thrilling debut * Harper's Bazaar, This Winter's Best New Releases from Rising Novelists * Most anticipated books of 2021 'Pre-order now and thank yourself later' * Marie Claire * One to watch ... The Push is told from the point of view of Blythe Connor, whose experience of motherhood is not what she hoped for * The Bookseller * A meteoric debut. Ashley Audrain's The Push is a force of nature, an unforgettable arrival that will linger in your heart--shimmer, darken and then haunt you. Every sentence is just so achingly alive. Audrain descends with near pointillistic precision into the gore of motherhood and love. Perhaps if Stephen King had experienced motherhood--the singular exaltation and morbid terror of that state--he might have been able to dream up this book. Wise, monstrous, and tender, The Push operates at a different frequency. It seemed to pulse in my hands. I could not put it down. I could not look away -- Claudia Dey, author of Heartbreaker and Stunt Written with a courage that borders on audacity, and with uncanny emotional and psychological precision, Ashley Audrain's The Push is a taut, tour-de-force literary thriller that draws you in from the very first pages and plunges you into the most harrowing of journeys: parenthood -- Bill Clegg, New York Times bestselling author of Did You Ever Have A Family? Ashley Audrain's The Push is not only a propulsively entertaining, read-in-one-sitting novel, it is also a deeply provocative and fearless look at motherhood written in some of the prettiest prose you'll read all year -- Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother A tense and unsettling thriller that's immersive, chilling, and provocative. A book that's best read in one sitting -- Iain Reid, author of I'm Thinking of Ending Things Astonishingly good. Beautifully written, gripping, disturbing -- Jane Fallon, author of Queen Bee Compelling, beautifully written and wickedly entertaining... A tremendously thought-provoking read -- Liz Nugent, author of Little Cruelties and Lying in Wait The Push is not a book you'll be able to forget easily . . . an unputdownable story that will be the book everyone is talking about in 2021 * Grazia * The Push is written on the edge of a knife. It's a howl in the face of what we think we know - or want to believe - about motherhood. Relentlessly compelling, distressing and beautiful, Ashley Audrain's debut is the next Gone Girl, with shades of We Need to Talk About Kevin. I devoured it whole -- Marissa Stapley, bestselling author of The Last Resort Stayed up too late finishing [Audrain's] deeply unsettling The Push about the darkest reaches of motherhood . . . Visceral, provocative, compulsive, and with the most graphic and relatable description of childbirth I've read (or written) -- Sarah Vaughan, bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal Intensely absorbing, gripping until the final page, The Push excavates the myths of motherhood, deftly exploring the shape-shifting landscape of parenting, the powerful impact of the past on the present, and the deep unease of our inability to ever fully know even those we hold the closest -- Kim Edwards, bestselling author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter The most thought-provoking exploration of motherhood I've come across since We Need to Talk About Kevin -- Clare Pooley Starkly original and compulsively readable, Ashley Audrain's The Push is a deep dive into the darkest nooks and crannies of motherhood. Raw, visceral, and often disturbing, this is an intense psychological drama that will be embraced by serious book clubs and fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin -- Kristin Hannah With its riveting prose and deep convictions, Ashley Audrain's The Push had me in its clutches from the first page. Audrain's astute portrayal of motherhood was unsettling in its insights, yet highly entertaining on the page. Complex, nuanced, and unflinching, I inhaled this debut in one sitting -- Karma Brown * bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife * The Push is a freight train of a read - it barrels into you and propels you along, taking you places you're not sure you want to go. I found it disturbing, upsetting, and utterly compelling -- Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy A provocative, compulsive novel about modern motherhood * Vogue * Suspenseful with extreme We Need To Talk About Kevin vibes, this is the Book Club Book that'll have everyone talking next year ... * Grazia * I was totally hooked. Compelling, addictive, chilling. Smashing read -- Elizabeth Macneal I was completely engrossed in The Push from the very first page. So tense, so all-encompassing! It's a jet-black story of motherhood, inheritance and expectations, and I loved it -- Abigail Dean, author of Girl A I loved it - such a dark and compelling exploration of motherhood. Absolutely haunting: a brilliant, thought-provoking page-turner -- Caroline Lea I was gripped . . . One of 2021's most anticipated books . . . Dazzling and gloriously complete -- Daisy Buchanan The Push was a poetic, propulsive read that set my nerves jangling in both horror and recognition. I read it one sitting and it stayed with me for days afterwards. Not to be missed -- Lisa Jewell Ashley dares us to find the relatable in the worst we can imagine . . . the knife-edge between relatability and horror keeps the reader hooked * Grazia * An inventive twist on the psychological thriller formula . . . Audrain sustains the suspense expertly through assured handling of her unravelling protagonist's voice * Sunday Times * A gripping debut that explores and manipulates the fears and insecurities of mothers everywhere . . . Well thought out, vividly realised and gripping * Guardian *