Kiss, Marry or Kill: 44
One hell of a mindf*** book, how much freedom should your kid have, the shower routine that changed everything, the continuing saga that is my eyesight
This is my weekly series for subscribers only, where I’ll share things that caught my eye this week in a fun and flirty way (kiss), a sustainable way (marry), or a not-so-good way (kill). And yes, this trendy game is technically “f***, marry, or kill” but we run a family-friendly-ish show around here.
Kiss (things I like right now)
The Push by Ashley Audrain (← listened with my ears)
(TW: child death) I know this is an older book (2021), but I often purposefully avoid books with this much hype. However, I’m so glad I finally listened. (Also, despite this book being an absolute 5/5 stars, “glad” is 100% not the right word.) This book was a mind-f*** from the very first page. At the crux of the story is a mother believing (fearing? imagining? acknowledging?) that there is something very wrong with her firstborn child—and being very much alone and stuck in that experience for years on end. (Aside, if you are a mom raising young kids and carrying all of the emotional and mental load, you will be as enraged as I was throughout much of the story.) The storytelling does a lot of back-and-forth between generations, adding layers of history that both unfurled and thickened the plot. Is there something wrong with her child? Is there something wrong with her? Are both true? Are neither true? This story will keep you immersed until the very last moment, and hooks you into thinking about it for days, weeks—maybe forever.