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midnight_toker's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Devil child? Misunderstood child? Two-sided tale of parenting and childhood gone wrong. Parents beware!! You’ll look at your own darlings a little differently after this.
{Alternative titles: Bad Apple / Baby Teeth}
Riveted. That’s what I was. It wasn’t because this was a thriller. It was the psychological story of the mother and daughter that made me desperate to see just what each side was really thinking and feeling.
You can’t help but feel for Suzette - mother of a six year old who hasn’t ever spoken. Who has voluntarily become a stay-at-home mum, home-schooler and housewife leaving a very creative profession and fulfilling career to spend her time with a daughter who appears to hate her.
She has clearly tried hard:
“It was hard to pour endless love into someone who wouldn’t love you back. No one could do it forever.
You also feel for Hanna. She adores her father but seems to feel her mother doesn’t love her:
“It as all Mommy wanted all day. To stop thinking about her. To leave her behind.”
Hanna has never spoken. She can write, read, is clearly highly intelligent and no tests have shown any problems. It is a truly strange scenario, and one we are able to see from both perspectives, with both characters speaking to us. Do we believe that Hanna is a monster? Or that Suzette is jealous of her husband’s love for her daughter and has pushed her out?
It’s very difficult to put a finger on just how things have gone wrong for Suzette’s family, and her husband sees only a little angel and a frazzled wife who tells stories he can’t see truth in - notes Hanna write containing swear words are ripped up, bad behaviour is only ever reported but not witnessed - so it really is an Electra complex and battle between mother and daughter.
The story will shock. It ramps up quickly to a thriller of sorts, with rather terrifying scenes played out in two perspectives. I got a feel for ‘why’ things had progressed as they had, though felt more detail of Hanna’s early years would have been helpful in pinpointing this.
There are some key moments between husband and wife that struck home, as their old relationship before becoming parents is allowed breathing space. As a parent, it reminded me of the feeling of confinement that comes with the more joyful aspects of children.
I loved the slow-burn of the situation that suddenly comes to a head, the evidence that mounts as to the likely dangers, the inside look into both child and parent, the overly-exaggerated relationship problems that here result in a horror show of a climax.
Violence and hate, injuries and pain... it won’t be for everyone but is a fascinating psychological trip into a twisted and scarred family.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
{Alternative titles: Bad Apple / Baby Teeth}
Riveted. That’s what I was. It wasn’t because this was a thriller. It was the psychological story of the mother and daughter that made me desperate to see just what each side was really thinking and feeling.
You can’t help but feel for Suzette - mother of a six year old who hasn’t ever spoken. Who has voluntarily become a stay-at-home mum, home-schooler and housewife leaving a very creative profession and fulfilling career to spend her time with a daughter who appears to hate her.
She has clearly tried hard:
“It was hard to pour endless love into someone who wouldn’t love you back. No one could do it forever.
You also feel for Hanna. She adores her father but seems to feel her mother doesn’t love her:
“It as all Mommy wanted all day. To stop thinking about her. To leave her behind.”
Hanna has never spoken. She can write, read, is clearly highly intelligent and no tests have shown any problems. It is a truly strange scenario, and one we are able to see from both perspectives, with both characters speaking to us. Do we believe that Hanna is a monster? Or that Suzette is jealous of her husband’s love for her daughter and has pushed her out?
It’s very difficult to put a finger on just how things have gone wrong for Suzette’s family, and her husband sees only a little angel and a frazzled wife who tells stories he can’t see truth in - notes Hanna write containing swear words are ripped up, bad behaviour is only ever reported but not witnessed - so it really is an Electra complex and battle between mother and daughter.
The story will shock. It ramps up quickly to a thriller of sorts, with rather terrifying scenes played out in two perspectives. I got a feel for ‘why’ things had progressed as they had, though felt more detail of Hanna’s early years would have been helpful in pinpointing this.
There are some key moments between husband and wife that struck home, as their old relationship before becoming parents is allowed breathing space. As a parent, it reminded me of the feeling of confinement that comes with the more joyful aspects of children.
I loved the slow-burn of the situation that suddenly comes to a head, the evidence that mounts as to the likely dangers, the inside look into both child and parent, the overly-exaggerated relationship problems that here result in a horror show of a climax.
Violence and hate, injuries and pain... it won’t be for everyone but is a fascinating psychological trip into a twisted and scarred family.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
laneylegz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
This would've been a DNF but I promised the person that gave it to me that I would finish it (It took me over a year) Swedish dad Alex & Jewish mom Suzette and their child Hanna. She's a high IQ brat that refuses to speak and is daddy's girl and wants to get rid of mommy. Suzette has Krohn's disease and is an artist but is afraid of her child. She should be because Hanna is devious and wants to kill mommy to have daddy all to herself and tries numerous ways to do it Too many words and phrases in Swedish that I had to look up and far fetched reaching for story lines (Hanna channels a witch and can speak perfect French and at the end also Swedish & English). Hanna is in and out of schools for "troubled" kids where she inflicts pain on other kids, barks at teachers, & generally causes mayhem so she can be at home with daddy. Just ugh and the ending was thrown together to I guess write a sequel? Not worth the time
sparetimebibliophile's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Wowza this book made me question motherhood! This was such an interesting read and I liked the various historical and cultural elements that were woven throughout. It did feel a bit sluggish at times, and I had to plod through some parts, but overall this was a fascinating psychological study!
pam2375's review against another edition
3.0
This was dark dark and more dark. A thriller about a 7 year old girl, Hanna, who does not speak but manages to find ways to communicate. She loves her Daddy but her and mommy struggle to get along. Mommy knows that there is something very disturbing about her daughter while daddy does not want to believe it.
Many thanks to netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy.
Many thanks to netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy.
zarzuman's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bbrown0526's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this expecting a fun read about a creepy little homicidal kid, and instead got a messy story about a family with parents who seem so wrapped up in themselves that they ignore their only child’s mental illness until it’s too late. I think the book tried to depict Hanna as a diabolical, evil kid but instead I just got sad reading about a kid that obviously needed mental health treatment while her mom whined about her Crohn’s disease randomly and constantly. The father/husband was boring and one dimensional and I couldn’t figure why either the mother OR the daughter seemed so obsessed with him. I enjoyed reading the book, it just left me feeling sad.
brittwake22's review against another edition
Not enjoying the back and forth perspective of the child and mom. Audio format can’t get into it as doesn’t sound like a child, just an adult speaking in childish ways.