A review by amothersmusings1
Baby Teeth by Celia Silvani

5.0

What a powerfully emotive story “Baby Teeth” was.  I certainly wasn’t expecting the range of emotions I went through reading this book, from frustration and dislike to sympathy and genuine amazement. 

 

I didn’t like any of the characters at all, though that is exactly what the author intends for the reader (I hope) even James, who is perhaps the only one with some limited sense acted erratically.  I was little disappointed that his side storyline, involving his work and his very numerous ‘work drinks’, didn’t have more of a bearing on the story but generally all the characters seemed very self-focused and unlikeable. 

 

Saying that, the empathy I felt towards Claire and especially Flora outdid any of the frustrations I felt towards the two women.  At times I wanted to shout and scream at them - to open their eyes to what was going on around them. 

 

As a mother myself, I have to admit to not knowing anything about ‘free-birthing’ apart from being aware of potential risks but I was totally astounded by the powerful nature of the women in the social media groups and their ability to sway others with their strong beliefs and opinions. The internet can be such a dangerous place when used incorrectly and the addiction Claire had with her mobile phone and the groups she had joined, was borderline psychotic and again very frustrating. 

 

Irritations and social media dependency aside, this book was in itself addictive, engrossing and eye opening and it felt at times, like I was rubber necking at an accident, so disturbing were some of the scenes. 

 

I must point out the trigger warnings: free-birthing, infertility/IVF issues, loss and its associated grief, mental health and medical phobias. This book may not be for everyone, especially those currently pregnant or planning on a family but I ‘enjoyed’ it and would happily read more by Celia Silvani again. 

 

#BabyTeeth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️