Push (novel)


Push is the 1996 debut novel of American author Sapphire. Thirteen years after its release, it was made into Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, a film that won two Academy Awards and was directed by Lee Daniels.

Style

Critics have gone in both directions as far as their opinions of the style in which Push is written. Some consider "the harrowing story line exaggerated," saying that it doesn't seem realistic to "saddle one fictional character with so many problems straight from today's headlines". Others have stated that while the dialect is problematic, Precious herself is believable because she "speaks in a darting stream of consciousness of her days in an unexpectedly evocative fashion".

Dialect/Voice

Precious begins the novel functionally illiterate. She spells words phonetically. She uses a "minimal English that defies the conventions of spelling and usage and dispenses all verbal decorum". She employs variations such as "nuffin'" for nothing, "git" for get, "borned" for born, "wif" for with, and "chile" for child. She also uses an array of profanity and harsh details that reflect the life she has experienced. Michiko Kakutani, a book reviewer for The New York Times, states that Precious' "voice conjures up gritty unforgiving world."
As the book progresses and Precious learns to read and write, there is a stark change in her voice, though the dialect remains the same.

Sequel

In 2011, Sapphire published a semi-sequel, The Kid. It follows the life of Precious' son Abdul from the age of nine to 19. Precious herself has died following complications from HIV, but was accepted to college before her death.