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A review by rashellnicole
With Teeth by Kristen Arnett
medium-paced
4.5
Full disclosure: I loved this book and the preliminary thoughts from my virtual book club are that I am one of the only ones who loved it (for whatever that’s worth). This book was an extremely raw study of a queer mother in a struggling relationship who is on the brink. Her wife, Monika, assumes the heteronormative role of breadwinner while Sammie has been a stay-at-home mother since Samson’s birth. While early childhood was blissful and fulfilling for Sammie, an incident when Samson was young and almost taken by a stranger at the playground traumatizes her. The story is told primarily through Sammie’s eyes and we watch Samson age from willful child to broody teenager from her perspective.
The crux of this story is that Sammie feels unmoored from her role as a wife and mother, and unloved by her wife and child. More than once, Sammie admits she just wants to understand Samson and why he behaves the way he does (he is extremely autistic-coded and I really with the book had done more about expanding on this possible diagnosis when it came to Samson and his therapist interactions), and she wishes her wife would take time to see Sammie’s point of view when it comes to raising their child as a unit.
The most frustrating part of this book is that Sammie’s behavior is cyclical and self-destructive, and NONE of these characters are likable. Sammie starts to drink more often (and during the day), later on she engages in sometimes dangerous sexual behavior with other women, Monika completely separates herself from her family other than Samson, and Samson’s behavior often turns violent and malicious. There are no redeeming qualities for members of this family other than the understanding that this is an extremely realistic and uncomfortable expression of a messy queer family. What I loved about this portrayal, though, is that queerness, itself, isn’t the issue - it’s life and the challenges of parenthood and trying to be an individual person that makes it messy. This book was a trainwreck that I couldn’t look away from, and one I won’t be able to stop thinking about for a while (whether that’s a good or bad thing).
The crux of this story is that Sammie feels unmoored from her role as a wife and mother, and unloved by her wife and child. More than once, Sammie admits she just wants to understand Samson and why he behaves the way he does (he is extremely autistic-coded and I really with the book had done more about expanding on this possible diagnosis when it came to Samson and his therapist interactions), and she wishes her wife would take time to see Sammie’s point of view when it comes to raising their child as a unit.
The most frustrating part of this book is that Sammie’s behavior is cyclical and self-destructive, and NONE of these characters are likable. Sammie starts to drink more often (and during the day), later on she engages in sometimes dangerous sexual behavior with other women, Monika completely separates herself from her family other than Samson, and Samson’s behavior often turns violent and malicious. There are no redeeming qualities for members of this family other than the understanding that this is an extremely realistic and uncomfortable expression of a messy queer family. What I loved about this portrayal, though, is that queerness, itself, isn’t the issue - it’s life and the challenges of parenthood and trying to be an individual person that makes it messy. This book was a trainwreck that I couldn’t look away from, and one I won’t be able to stop thinking about for a while (whether that’s a good or bad thing).