The Push & the Pull

by Darryl Whetter

Andrew Day embarks on a bicycle trip from Halifax to Kingston, his childhood home. As he goes, the dual narratives of Andrew’s life emerge: the slow, painful death of his father and the disappearance of Betty, who may be lost to him forever. He contemplates, too, the nature of desire. En route, Andrew sloughs off his fears, material goods, and attachments. In episodes of intensifying violence, he leaves the highway and rides the back roads under the cover of night. By the time he arrives home, an epiphany greets him. Darryl Whetter writes with compelling intensity of athleticism and degeneration, isolation and community, the weight of desire and the joy and anguish present in all things.

328 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2008

Reviews

[Wunderdrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of the 'Read Around New Brunswick' challenge, happening now at public libraries across NB.
I was slower getting into this book, but once I did then I really dug it! I'm glad that I was reading it on vacation, sitting on a beach, which encouraged me to stick with it. Initially the going back and forth between the bike trip & the time leading up to it was bugging me but as I got more into the story I felt that the author was revealing things in time for the reader to understand just enough. Andrew is a guy who has dealt with a lot of heavy feelings, especially for someone so young. I'm not convinced that a solo long distance bike trip is the best way to work through your emotions, but to each his own. Some of us go to therapy, others drive ourselves to the point of total physical exhaustion. As I read along and got to know Andrew as a person, it made a lot more sense to me why he felt the need to do this.
I don't want to give too much away because I really think that you all should just read the book, but I will say that it made me think a lot about the complexities of human relationships - familial, romantic, and sexual. I would especially recommend it to people in their 20s/recent university graduates.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just awful. Gave up 40 pages in. Too many adjectives, too many metaphors, too much trying to sound clever.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absorbing tale of Andrew Day, told from several perspectives. The young protagonist is dealing with the recent death of his father and emotional fallout after separating from his girlfriend. He is also struggling to grow and mature against instincts that land him in hot water time and again. Framed as a travelogue as Andrew cycles from Halifax on the east coast to Kingston, Ontario, The Push and the Pull draws the reader into Andrew's troubled consciousness as his story spins along, fleshed out in numerous flashbacks. Whetter's skill as a storyteller keeps the diffuse narrative from flying apart, and in the end we cheer Andrew's return home.