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Ashley Audrain

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Canadian writer
Ashley Audrain
Born1982 (age 41–42)
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupationwriter

Ashley Audrain (born 1982) is a Canadian writer. She is known for two novels, The Push (2021) and The Whispers (2023), which were each published as part of a high-profile contract.

Career

Prior to turning her hand to writing, Audrain was publicity director for Penguin Canada, which is now an imprint of the Canadian division of Penguin Random House. In 2015 a health crisis with her youngest child caused her to retire. She found writing was an occupation she could undertake at home.

The Bookseller reported that her UK book deal with Michael Joseph Limited, an imprint of the UK division of Penguin Random House, was worth approximately £1,000,000, while her US book deal was in "the high seven figures". The first book of the two-book deal, The Push, was released for sale in US and Canada on January 5, 2021.

During a July 2019 interview with the Toronto Star Audrain had described The Push as a "psychological drama told through the lens of motherhood." The story is about a woman who is unsure whether or not there is something wrong with her daughter, Violet. This causes strain in her marriage to a man named Fox Connor. The novel was a critical success and well received by audiences. On Book Marks, a review aggregator, the novel holds a total "Rave" consensus, based on 14 independent mainstream critic appraisals: 12 "Rave", 1 "Positive", and 1 more neutral. This included discussions on The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times Book Review. Kirkus Reviews called it "finely wrought psychological study of motherhood and inherited trauma", and concluded that it is "written for and about mothers but not for the faint of heart; it offers no easy answers." Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review for the "twisty, harrowing ride to the dark side of motherhood Audrain pilots so skillfully... a sterling addition to the burgeoning canon of bad seed suspense." It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Debut and Mystery & Thriller. Selected as a Richard & Judy Book Club in Spring 2022. It won the Arthur Ellis Award for First Novel, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada.

The second book, The Whispers, was published June 6, 2023. According to Book Marks, the novel holds a total "Positive" consensus, based on 4 independent mainstream critic appraisals.

Works

  • The Push (2021)
  • The Whispers (2023)

References

  1. ^ Raju Mudhar (2019-07-10). "Meet Ashley Audrain, the Toronto author who has the publishing world buzzing". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2019-07-11. Viking U.S. also quickly bought the book. This is almost unheard of in the industry, as it's an unpublished debut novel, it was sold outside of a book fair and the summer is generally considered a quiet time in the publishing world.
  2. ^ Ryan Porter (2019-07-11). "Former Penguin publicist lands record-breaking deal for debut novel". Quill & Quire. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2019-07-11. Penguin Canada, which bought the Canadian rights as part of a two-book deal, didn't have to look far for Audrain – the 37-year-old worked as the publisher's in-house publicity director until 2015.
  3. Heloise Wood (2019-07-10). "Audrain's debut thriller nets £1m in UK deal". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2019-07-11. The Bookseller understands the UK deal is worth £1m ($1.2m) while the subsequent deal with Pamela Dorman Books/Viking in the US is a higher seven-figure deal. Milburn did not disclose the figures. The Bookseller sourced the figures from third parties.
  4. "The Push Written by Ashley Audrain". PenguinRandomHouse.ca. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  5. "Book Marks reviews of The Push by Ashley Audrain". Book Marks. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  6. Kent, Christobel (2021-01-02). "The Push by Ashley Audrain review – the dark side of motherhood". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  7. Woods, Paula L. (2021-01-14). "Review: In a debut thriller, a 'bad mother' story you can actually believe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  8. Martin, Claire (2021-01-05). "When the Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is Suspicious of the Baby Inside". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  9. "The Push by Ashley Audrain". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  10. "Toronto author Ashley Audrain among the winners of 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards". CBC Books. May 26, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. "Book Marks reviews of The Whispers by Ashley Audrain". Book Marks. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
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