A review by rileyswan
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"This is what happens to people like me if we don't have the money for tutors, if we refuse to listen, if we don't have wombs that are worth the effort. He's scared. He's cornered. Like me."

THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH, at its core, is a tale of solidarity and strength.

Andrew Joseph White's second novel follows Silas, an autistic trans boy, and his gnashing battle with a world that attempts to shape his flesh as it deems fit—and how hard he fights to take control of his body and life.

Juxtaposing the times he claws his way out of the basement, painted with mangled wounds where stitching was torn back by scalpel, are the times in which he burrows his exhausted face in the neck of his lover.

Daphne was an exquisite character. She is a delicate, brave woman, with an adoration for Silas so genuine it made me weep. Every moment the pair shared was held in place by incorrigibly horrendous events that occurred both before and after, which only made the sweetness more bitter. Even so, the few specks of time in which solace was found in their shared company were perfect. 

Silas's story is raw, tender down to the fragile bone. Every moment had me chewing my lip, clawing at my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart. Every emotion was visceral, as bloody and brutal as the surgeries our ravenous protagonist performs.

"It distracts me for just long enough to make me laugh, and Daphne does too. Her eyes shine when she laughs. She's beautiful.

A beautiful thing. Here. I almost don't believe it."
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