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A review by ihateprozac
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
4.0
This was such an infuriating read, but I can't deny that I was invested!
I can see why this book didn't work for other people because it's slower, internalised, and character-driven. This is a long and frustrating journey watching a child torment her mother while being gaslit at every step of the journey. It doesn't build to a crescendo like the movie Orphan, and you're not sure whether there's going to be a satisfying conclusion for any party.
Fortunately these are all reasons why it worked for me! I love unlikeable characters and frustrating stories that make me want to tear my hair out. The gaslighting from the husband was INFURIATING and very typical of disbelieving men in horrors. The mother herself has so many issues complicating how she deals with Hanna: her own mother issues, body dysmorphia, a complete lack of friends, and MAJOR PTSD from Crohn's Disease complications.
While you just want Suzette to get the fuck out and leave her shitty husband and daughter behind, you can see how her tapestry of psychological issues prevents her from doing so. Her whole world is her husband and daughter, and her trauma keeps her trying to fix a sinking ship. You want to scream the entire time but you can see why she wants to keep helping her daughter, even when she's burning and broken.
One thing I didn't expect from this book is how it handled Suzette's Crohn's Disease and associated PTSD. Suzette's constant fear and unresolved trauma from medical complications were visceral. They really spoke to me re: some digestive issues I experienced as a child, but I think the writing is so palpable and visceral that even the most cast iron stomach would experience distress reading this. It's not for the faint of heart. Wow.
4 stars. Thought I would hate this based on other reviews, but I loved how frustrating it was. An infuriating surprise!
I can see why this book didn't work for other people because it's slower, internalised, and character-driven. This is a long and frustrating journey watching a child torment her mother while being gaslit at every step of the journey. It doesn't build to a crescendo like the movie Orphan, and you're not sure whether there's going to be a satisfying conclusion for any party.
Fortunately these are all reasons why it worked for me! I love unlikeable characters and frustrating stories that make me want to tear my hair out. The gaslighting from the husband was INFURIATING and very typical of disbelieving men in horrors. The mother herself has so many issues complicating how she deals with Hanna: her own mother issues, body dysmorphia, a complete lack of friends, and MAJOR PTSD from Crohn's Disease complications.
While you just want Suzette to get the fuck out and leave her shitty husband and daughter behind, you can see how her tapestry of psychological issues prevents her from doing so. Her whole world is her husband and daughter, and her trauma keeps her trying to fix a sinking ship. You want to scream the entire time but you can see why she wants to keep helping her daughter, even when she's burning and broken.
One thing I didn't expect from this book is how it handled Suzette's Crohn's Disease and associated PTSD. Suzette's constant fear and unresolved trauma from medical complications were visceral. They really spoke to me re: some digestive issues I experienced as a child, but I think the writing is so palpable and visceral that even the most cast iron stomach would experience distress reading this. It's not for the faint of heart. Wow.
4 stars. Thought I would hate this based on other reviews, but I loved how frustrating it was. An infuriating surprise!