Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage on July 17th 2018
Pages: 320
Goodreads
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.
Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, right? Thats what Suzette thought too…
If you’re a fan of thrillers, you’ve undoubtedly seen BABY TEETH everywhere over the past couple of weeks. It certainly one of the most hyped of the summer. Ninety percent of Goodreads reviewers rate this book between three and five stars. It obviously has a lot going for it. I’m not surprised, however, that it has also proved to be a very polarizing read. There is something deeply disturbing about a mother being afraid of her own daughter and a daughter that really, truly want to harm her mother.
As many of you know, I’m a nurse by profession, though I’ve not worked since the birth of my daughter. My own professional experience did have some impact on my experience with this book. I have actually met mothers who are afraid of their children and it’s not an easy thing to deal with. It’s extremely difficult to find resources for these families and they are often afraid of seeking voluntary services through DCF. It’s the ultimate Catch-22. I, therefore, admit to approaching this book with some trepidation mixed into the intrigue. I reasoned with myself that all thrillers contain at least one character with behavioral health issues and asked myself why it should be different that, in this case, the character is a child. After reading this book, I came up with something that’s admittedly not terribly scholarly or profound: IT JUST IS! We are conditioned to look at children as innocents; blank slates that, with the proper nurturing, will blossom into loving and contributing members of society. Baby Teeth forces us to reexamine that notion.
The moment I began Baby Teeth, I didn’t want to put it down. Despite, or maybe because of, the feeling it gave me in the pit of my stomach, I was compelled to keep turning the pages. I thought it was very well-written all-around—well developed characters, chill factor, and multiple points of view which worked very, very well. There were one or two times I had difficulty with implausibility but there was enough that’s (even more scarily!) plausible here that the balance remained in the book’s favor.
I would argue that the very disturbing nature of this book is the exact reason that you *should* read it. It will give you lots of food for thought and make for interesting discussion material, to be sure. And let’s face it, you don’t want to have FOMO. Seriously, everyone is reading this book!
Baby Teeth is Zoje Stage’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. I will definitely read her future work.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY ON MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Such a fantastic review, Ann Marie! I am one of the only people on the planet who has not read this, and your FOMO reference tempted me! 😂 For whatever reason, I hadn’t thought about that yet! I’m happy you enjoyed this.
Thanks, Jennifer! It won’t be for everyone but it’s definitely unique!
Ann Marie recently posted…Blog Tour: Day of the Dead by Nicci French
I just got the audiobook so thanks for your excellent review! It couldn’t be more timely. I’ve seen the range of ratings and it must be provocative. Can’t wait to listen to the story.
Jonetta (Ejaygirl) recently posted…The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★ (Throne of Glass #.01 – .05)
As much as I love audiobooks, I somehow don’t gravitate toward mysteries/thrillers/suspense when I’m choosing. I think I’m just a wimp and don’t want to be scared while I’m taking a walk which is when I most often listen. I’ll look forward to hearing what you think.
Ann Marie recently posted…Blog Tour: Day of the Dead by Nicci French
Not sure why, but this one just isn’t grabbing my interest, but I loved your review!
I definitely understand. It’s so niche that it’s not going to be a draw for everyone.
Great review, Ann Marie! I’m so glad that you found this book addictive. We all need more books like that in the world! That said, I think this book isn’t for me. I tend to avoid anything which might be on the psychological thriller side of things. They give me nightmares! What drove you to pick up this book in the first place?
Oh man. This book sounds super creepy. Anytime I’ve watched a movie with creepy children in it I never do well lol This one sounds like a good book club selection!
It was a little unnerving. It would be great for a short discussion when you want something you can dish over vs. having an hour-long serious discussion.
I like thrillers and the idea for this one, plus the striking cover, have definitely caught my attention. It does seem particularly creepy! Glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks, Katie! I hope you enjoy it if you’re able to squeeze it in.
On the one hand, you have me intrigued, but on the other the last book I read about a child who scared his parents was We Need to Talk About Kevin and I was literally nauseated by that book. I wanted to unread it it was horribly difficult. I may need to pass on this one, at least for now.
I still haven’t read We Need to Talk About Kevin but I’ve had a copy for years. Every time I think about reaching for it, something stops me. I can read about all kinds of horrible things but I’m afraid this one might have the same effect on me as it had on you. Still, I do hope I can bring myself to read it one day.
I’ve passed on this book because it just sounds too creepy weird but with your 4 star review and a couple other positive reviews from bloggers I typically agree with, I’m wondering if I should try it. I enjoyed your review!
It is creepy and weird, Renee. Truth be told, I struggled with the rating which is something that doesn’t happen to me often. There were 5 star aspects and 3 star aspects. In the end, the appreciation I had for the writing and originality made me settle in the middle.
I am looking forward to reading this one, I keep moving it up on my kindle and for some reason it gets pushed back down. Time to start, great review.
Thanks, Carla! I hope you can squeeze it in. 🙂