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The Push by Claire McGowan (view source)
Revision as of 10:18, 12 November 2020
, 10:18, 12 November 2020no edit summary
I enjoyed this story from the very beginning, and it only got better as the pages turned. Alison and Jax (one of the new mums) are the main narrators, but lots of other characters take on a chapter or two each, which sends the story off in different directions and lets you piece things together, sometimes before Alison does. These are all nice enough couples, though probably the person I'd most likely be friends with is Alison herself, but their lives are in no way straightforward. So many ''issues'' are laced through the story – think adoption, infertility, addictions, cheating spouses - without being the main focus. They are just part and parcel of the characters' lives, and the way life can be. Some are open about their issues, others keep them hidden, but it's Alison's job to tease out the undertones of each and establish whether they are material to her investigation.
The writing flows beautifully, so much so that I finished this long book in less time than I've taken on much shorter titles recently. I didn't want to put it down when I knew if I kept reading I'd find out whodunnit and, far more interestingly, why. This isn't a flowery book, so when the descriptions do appear you pay attention, alert to the fact you're your time isn't being wasted with gratuitous prose. I liked the matter of fact nature of the writing, that left a lot of emotion at the door. It was clever and astute and it didn't make me cry (so good for reading in public!)
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review. This is not the first Claire McGowan book I've read, and I'll certainly be making an effort to dig through her full back catalogue after this one. You might also enjoy [[The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon]].