Ashley Audrain

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Ashley Audrain
Born1982 (age 42–43)
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Occupationwriter

Ashley Audrain (born 1982) is a Canadian writer. [1] [2] She is known for two novels, The Push (2021) and The Whispers (2023), which were each published as part of a high-profile contract.

Contents

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. [1] [2] In 2015 a health crisis with her youngest child caused her to retire.[ citation needed ] She found writing was an occupation she could undertake at home.[ citation needed ]

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". [3] The first book of the two-book deal, The Push, was released for sale in US and Canada on January 5, 2021. [4]

During a July 2019 interview with the Toronto Star Audrain had described The Push as a "psychological drama told through the lens of motherhood." [1] 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. [5] 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." [6] The book was also reviewed in The Guardian [7] and The New York Times Book Review . [8] It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Debut and Mystery & Thriller. It was selected as a Richard & Judy Book Club in Spring 2022 and won the Arthur Ellis Award for First Novel, presented annually by the Crime Writers of Canada. [9]

Audrain's second book, The Whispers, was published June 6, 2023. [10] [11]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 Raju Mudhar (July 10, 2019). "Meet Ashley Audrain, the Toronto author who has the publishing world buzzing". Toronto Star . Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019. 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. 1 2 Ryan Porter (July 11, 2019). "Former Penguin publicist lands record-breaking deal for debut novel". Quill & Quire . Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019. 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 (July 10, 2019). "Audrain's debut thriller nets £1m in UK deal". The Bookseller . Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019. 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 January 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ Woods, Paula L. (January 14, 2021). "Review: In a debut thriller, a 'bad mother' story you can actually believe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Push by Ashley Audrain". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kent, Christobel (January 2, 2021). "The Push by Ashley Audrain review – the dark side of motherhood". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ Martin, Claire (January 5, 2021). "When the Hand That Rocks the Cradle Is Suspicious of the Baby Inside". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Toronto author Ashley Audrain among the winners of 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards". CBC Books. May 26, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pochoda, Ivy (June 3, 2023). "What You Don't Know About Your Neighbors Can Hurt You". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  11. ↑ Meloan, Becky (June 1, 2023). "10 Noteworthy books for June". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved June 25, 2025.
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