First Chapter/First Paragraph: Baby Teeth

“We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen....a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.” —Entertainment Weekly

"A pulse-spiking thriller." —PopSugar

“Unnerving and unputdownable, Baby Teeth will get under your skin and keep you trapped in its chilling grip until the shocking conclusion.” —New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline

Sweetness can be deceptive.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at I’d Rather Be At The Beach. Each week, participants share a paragraph (or two) from a book they are currently reading or are planning to read soon.

Today I’m going to share the first couple of chapter of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage. I received my copy in the mail last week and I can’t wait to begin reading it. It sounds dark and thrilling. The earliest reviews have been a bit all over the place. People seem to feel very passionately about this one. I love books that evoke strong opinions as they never fail to inspire lively debate!

Chapter One
HANNA

“Maybe the machine could see the words she never spoke. Maybe they blazed in her bones. Maybe if the people in the white coats blew up the pictures, they’s see her thoughts, mapped like mountains and railroad tracks, across her ghostly skull. Hanna knew nothing was wrong with her. But Mommy wanted them to look. Again.

The room in the hospital’s dungeon carried the threat of needles and smelled like lemon candies tinged with poison. When she was little, the machine scared her. But now, seven, she pretended she was an astronaut. The rocket ship spun and beeped and she scanned the coordinates, double-checking her course. Through the round window, tiny Earth dropped from view, then she was in the darkness with the glimmering stars, zooming away. No one would ever catch her. She smiled.”

What do you think? Would you continue reading?

Creepy from the get-go. I’m in!