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A review by teganfreyja
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
3.0
I started this book yesterday and finished it today. I blew through it in about 10 hours. It was an addictive read and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I finished it. It's an addictive read but not altogether enjoyable. There were a few times I rolled my eyes at what was going on, especially with Suzette and her fear of Hanna. I kept thinking 'this whole family needs to go to therapy, stat'.
I didn't dislike the bool but I didn't particularly like it either. I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book. If anything, it reaffirms that therapy is good and everyone should go to therapy at least once even if you don't perceive yourself as having issues or problems that 'need' it.
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SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON
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I liked the ending despite its vagueness. I wanted to read more about Hanna's time in that facility and see her grow up a little bit, for better or worse. I wanted to follow her as she tried to be the 'best girl ever'. Would she learn from the facility, conciously or unconsciously? Would she grow out of trying to get rid of her mother? Would her parents finally accept that she has a mental illness and work with her, not against her? Would Suzette release herself from her mental intoxication with Alex? Would Alex grow up and learn how to be a supportive partner and father?
The book framed the child character in such a way that I was almost always surprised when she referenced as being 7 and not 11 or 12. She was written as a very mature 7 year old with confident grasps on complex concepts. I'm not saying that 7yos can't grasp complex concepts. What I mean is that as a seven year old I would not have known how to manipulate two people to such a intentional and diabolical degree and be able to plan out their reactions and following chain reactions to what I do etc
When reading Hanna's chapters, I kept casting my mind back to being that young and trying to imagine pulling something like her actions off. Her chapters are written to give us context for her actions, that's she's not naturally born evil or possessed. However, in the end Hanna's chapters detract from the creepiness that she's supposed to inspire. She's a child with a child like interpretation of the world (except for specific points where she knows exactly how adult relationships work) but also inspired such fear in her mother that Suzette physically feared for her own life?
I really felt for Hanna and Suzette in the end. Suzette wasn't ready to become a mother but Hanna wasn't to blame for that. Like I said above, the whole family needed therapy long before Hanna started acting badly. Suzette needs it for her obsessive behaviour, her attachment issues, her medical PTSD. Alex, the husband who is barely in this book, needs it for his anger and control issues, as well as to learn some active listening and interpersonal skills. Hanna is not innocent in all of this but she's just a kid that needs help managing and understanding her mental illness.
Obviously if all of that happened in the book we wouldn't have the plot at all but I do feel like some events were unrealistic and as those events racked up, the book became less of a creepy novel and more of a thought experiment.
That being said, my criticisms are really only for the last half of the book. I read the first half in one sitting and enjoyed the ride.
I didn't dislike the bool but I didn't particularly like it either. I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book. If anything, it reaffirms that therapy is good and everyone should go to therapy at least once even if you don't perceive yourself as having issues or problems that 'need' it.
.
.
.
SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON
.
.
.
I liked the ending despite its vagueness. I wanted to read more about Hanna's time in that facility and see her grow up a little bit, for better or worse. I wanted to follow her as she tried to be the 'best girl ever'. Would she learn from the facility, conciously or unconsciously? Would she grow out of trying to get rid of her mother? Would her parents finally accept that she has a mental illness and work with her, not against her? Would Suzette release herself from her mental intoxication with Alex? Would Alex grow up and learn how to be a supportive partner and father?
The book framed the child character in such a way that I was almost always surprised when she referenced as being 7 and not 11 or 12. She was written as a very mature 7 year old with confident grasps on complex concepts. I'm not saying that 7yos can't grasp complex concepts. What I mean is that as a seven year old I would not have known how to manipulate two people to such a intentional and diabolical degree and be able to plan out their reactions and following chain reactions to what I do etc
When reading Hanna's chapters, I kept casting my mind back to being that young and trying to imagine pulling something like her actions off. Her chapters are written to give us context for her actions, that's she's not naturally born evil or possessed. However, in the end Hanna's chapters detract from the creepiness that she's supposed to inspire. She's a child with a child like interpretation of the world (except for specific points where she knows exactly how adult relationships work) but also inspired such fear in her mother that Suzette physically feared for her own life?
I really felt for Hanna and Suzette in the end. Suzette wasn't ready to become a mother but Hanna wasn't to blame for that. Like I said above, the whole family needed therapy long before Hanna started acting badly. Suzette needs it for her obsessive behaviour, her attachment issues, her medical PTSD. Alex, the husband who is barely in this book, needs it for his anger and control issues, as well as to learn some active listening and interpersonal skills. Hanna is not innocent in all of this but she's just a kid that needs help managing and understanding her mental illness.
Obviously if all of that happened in the book we wouldn't have the plot at all but I do feel like some events were unrealistic and as those events racked up, the book became less of a creepy novel and more of a thought experiment.
That being said, my criticisms are really only for the last half of the book. I read the first half in one sitting and enjoyed the ride.