Push by Sapphire

(image source: Goodreads)

If you have been living under a rock for the last year, you may not have heard about a movie called Precious. Believe it or not, there was a book first (as there so often is). The book is titled Push and is written by Sapphire. As any commercial for the movie will tell you, the plot centers on the abuse of a young woman and her growth into an independent woman.

Trust me that I am not giving a spoiler, as you learn this information pretty quickly when starting the story. Instead, consider it a friendly warning regarding content. Don’t read it if you don’t think you can handle reading about strong sexual abuse.

Now that I have that warning out of the way, let me tell you why this is such an excellent book. Two things raise this book above others with similar subject matter: both how the content is handled as well as the voice of the main character, Precious. The abuse is graphic and painful to read. But miraculously, it never feels as if it is over the top or aiming for shock value. The abuse is simple and it is awful. And the honest, straightforward manner of the delivery is shattering. This is due in large part to the sincerity of the story-teller. The voice of Precious is dynamic core of this book. She is written clearly, consistently, and honestly. On a side note, this is an excellent example of dialect done well and of dialect as an essential tool of telling the story properly. Additionally, Precious was such a whole and vivid character that her voice never felt gimmicky.

I came to like Precious very much and to care about her future as if I knew her personally. As painful as her experiences were, as much as I wanted to make them stop, she was such an engaging character that I had to keep reading. For such a brief book this was one of the most compelling and thorough examples of a well written character that I have read in a long time.