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A review by thesincoucher
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
BABY TEETH has been on my radar for a long time. The premise is so good: daughter hates mommy and will do anything to destroy her, mommy knows this but is anyone going to believe her? I expected Stage to go a bit crazier with it but I was so pleased about how grounded everything was.
Hanna is seven years old and an evil child but she only does things that a seven year old would do. She is not an evil genius - all her plans are things that a seven year old would be capable to do. To me, that makes it even more unsettling than if she climbed up the roof and vomited all over Suzette. She is a precocious child with an ability to concentrate that I envy, and she loves her dad and hates her mom.
Suzette was also incredibly grounded. In any other book, she would have taken Hanna to an exorcist and called it a day but she never gets herself carried away even though Hanna tries really hard. She has no illusions about her daughter and no doubts about her abilities. On this, they feel in a very equal ground on how they are able to perceive each other so well. What I really really loved is that Suzette, even though she wishes Hanna was not evil and (because Hanna is trying to make her go away) they could go back with her husband to a time when they were not parents, she truly does love her daughter. There are these little moments when Hanna gets hurt that Suzette first reaction is to worry and protect her child, and that was heart-warming. I also really loved that Hanna wasn't adopted; I'm tired of the orphan being evil.
Alex, the dad, has the devotion of both, Hanna and Suzette, and he loves them both deeply. He was the biggest surprise, I think, because he was supportive of Suzette while doubting that the apple of his eye was capable of such things, which is a fine line to walk. His reactions when confronted by teachers about Hanna's behaviour were believable to anyone who has had to talk to parents in a tutor capacity. It was lovely to see Suzette and him being so in love and friendly towards each other.
I think this was a book difficult to pull off but Stage manages with ease and I'm going to read anything she writes next.
Hanna is seven years old and an evil child but she only does things that a seven year old would do. She is not an evil genius - all her plans are things that a seven year old would be capable to do. To me, that makes it even more unsettling than if she climbed up the roof and vomited all over Suzette. She is a precocious child with an ability to concentrate that I envy, and she loves her dad and hates her mom.
Suzette was also incredibly grounded. In any other book, she would have taken Hanna to an exorcist and called it a day but she never gets herself carried away even though Hanna tries really hard. She has no illusions about her daughter and no doubts about her abilities. On this, they feel in a very equal ground on how they are able to perceive each other so well. What I really really loved is that Suzette, even though she wishes Hanna was not evil and (because Hanna is trying to make her go away) they could go back with her husband to a time when they were not parents, she truly does love her daughter. There are these little moments when Hanna gets hurt that Suzette first reaction is to worry and protect her child, and that was heart-warming. I also really loved that Hanna wasn't adopted; I'm tired of the orphan being evil.
Alex, the dad, has the devotion of both, Hanna and Suzette, and he loves them both deeply. He was the biggest surprise, I think, because he was supportive of Suzette while doubting that the apple of his eye was capable of such things, which is a fine line to walk. His reactions when confronted by teachers about Hanna's behaviour were believable to anyone who has had to talk to parents in a tutor capacity. It was lovely to see Suzette and him being so in love and friendly towards each other.
I think this was a book difficult to pull off but Stage manages with ease and I'm going to read anything she writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Torture, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Blood