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A review by aallyoop_reads
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
4.0
Wow…this book is in a league of it’s own and seriously creeped me out. I often read thrillers about a scorned lover plotting revenge on their partner…but this is a new one. Could a child really want to kill her own mother??
In Baby Teeth, we meet 7 year old Hanna, the daughter of Alex and Suzette. From the start, we know that Hanna likely has a psychological disorder and does not speak to anyone. The book is written from the perspective of both Hanna and Suzette, and each have struggles that are documented throughout the story. For Hanna, she doesn’t like social settings and acts out when going to school, since she prefers homeschool and needs quiet time. She is very intelligent, but either can’t or won’t use her voice to communicate. However, we know that she hates (REALLY hates) her mother, Suzette. Hanna eventually begins a plot to Suzette so that she can have her father, Alex, all to herself. Hanna’s thoughts and actions are truly disturbing. I did find it a little hard to believe that a 7 year old (deranged or not) could come up with such sophisticated plots to oust her mother. However, reading about the pain she wanted to inflict on her mother just kept me thinking “oh my God…” and made the book hard to put down, since i just had to know what Hanna would do, and whether Suzette would survive.
Suzette is an intriguing character. She describes her depressing childhood with a detached mother, and her own journey through a series of medical traumas. Suzette struggles with Crohn’s disease, as well as anxiety. She has a hard time sharing her fears about her daughter’s behavior with her husband, Alex, as she fears that their marriage will implode, should Alex discover the truth about his daughter. Eventually, Hanna’s evil behavior becomes something that cannot be hidden, as her attempts to injure Suzette are successful. I found Suzette’s struggle with motherhood an important element of the story. Her feelings of regret toward becoming a mother that develop into rage and hatred directed toward Hanna, and this piece felt raw and although shocking, were understandable within the family dynamics.
This was a great book that kept me hooked. It was highly disturbing, but I couldn’t stop reading. You won't believe what Hanna is capable of! Highly recommend!
In Baby Teeth, we meet 7 year old Hanna, the daughter of Alex and Suzette. From the start, we know that Hanna likely has a psychological disorder and does not speak to anyone. The book is written from the perspective of both Hanna and Suzette, and each have struggles that are documented throughout the story. For Hanna, she doesn’t like social settings and acts out when going to school, since she prefers homeschool and needs quiet time. She is very intelligent, but either can’t or won’t use her voice to communicate. However, we know that she hates (REALLY hates) her mother, Suzette. Hanna eventually begins a plot to Suzette so that she can have her father, Alex, all to herself. Hanna’s thoughts and actions are truly disturbing. I did find it a little hard to believe that a 7 year old (deranged or not) could come up with such sophisticated plots to oust her mother. However, reading about the pain she wanted to inflict on her mother just kept me thinking “oh my God…” and made the book hard to put down, since i just had to know what Hanna would do, and whether Suzette would survive.
Suzette is an intriguing character. She describes her depressing childhood with a detached mother, and her own journey through a series of medical traumas. Suzette struggles with Crohn’s disease, as well as anxiety. She has a hard time sharing her fears about her daughter’s behavior with her husband, Alex, as she fears that their marriage will implode, should Alex discover the truth about his daughter. Eventually, Hanna’s evil behavior becomes something that cannot be hidden, as her attempts to injure Suzette are successful. I found Suzette’s struggle with motherhood an important element of the story. Her feelings of regret toward becoming a mother that develop into rage and hatred directed toward Hanna, and this piece felt raw and although shocking, were understandable within the family dynamics.
This was a great book that kept me hooked. It was highly disturbing, but I couldn’t stop reading. You won't believe what Hanna is capable of! Highly recommend!