Zoje Stage

I have been a fan of every book Zoje Stage has written, and this might be my favorite one so far. As a writer, she excels at characterization and her prose is razor-sharp. Both of those things remain true here, and the claustrophobic setting adds a ton of suspense and terror to an already nail-biting story.

Absolutely incredible work. With Mothered, Stage proves she is one of the most exciting and incisive voices in modern suspense and horror.

3.5 Stars

Hanna is seven and she is out to get her mother, at least that's what Suzette believes. Others see a quiet girl who plays best alone, but Suzette knows otherwise. Hanna wants mommy out of the picture and she'll do anything to get rid of her.

I came out of this pleasantly surprised, finding myself aching for Hanna and Suzette and the unaware Alex. Baby Teeth has been surrounded by controversial hype for months, labeled a creepy thriller you won't be able to put down. Alternating show more chapter viewpoints give us insight into little Hanna and her mother, Suzette's, daily life. I admit the psychological aspect is what drew me in, I really had no interest in a creepy seven year old, but ultimately I found myself enthralled by Hanna's perspective. She's incredibly smart, a gifted little girl, and mute. Suzette is a difficult character, almost unreliable as a narrator. She's focused on her image, missing a normalcy she's created in her head, and nearly obsessive compulsive about cleaning. I found myself both understanding her fear of Hanna, but also pitying her for her immature viewpoints. She's naive, selfish, and very hard to root for. The two, ultimately, are out to get each other.

What starts as creep, and had me fairly scared of finishing the novel, soon turns into more of a psychological drama. As readers we hurt for secondary character Alex, caught in the middle between a mother and a daughter who, quite frankly, don't seem to really like each other at all. It's a he-said she-said battle, one that ultimately made my heart ache. Suzette deals with a debilitating illness throughout the novel and I found that Hanna really just was a child gone undiagnosed, no creepiness to it. I don't think this should be considered a thriller, with no plot twist and no real fear built into it, but as a general read it is enjoyable.

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4.5 Stars

Move over stalkers and serial killers, little girl psychopaths are the new scariest thing.

This is by far one of the most, if not the most, disturbing thing I’ve ever read. No there isn’t a ton of gruesome scenes or mutilations; there’s a (possibly) psychopathic little girl.

Hanna’s character is so well-written and perfectly creepy. As an elective mute who adores her dad and despises her mom, she toes the line of sanity, playing innocent one moment and completely unhinged the show more next.

Suzette left me with some questions. It was hard to get a read on her true character. On the one hand she’s clearly a victim of her daughters, but I couldn’t help feeling that we weren’t seeing a certain darker quality of hers.

Alex, the husband and father, was probably my least favorite character. His unwillingness to see Hanna as she really is, his promise to be there one moment but then overwork the next, his wishy-washy-ness in decisions...I don’t know. He just irritated me.

The only issue I had was the ending. It’s left open and as far as I know there’s no sequel planned. I would have liked a little more finality, but with the rest of the novel being so dreadfully wonderful it’s easy to forgive this.

ARC provided for honest feedback. show less

Believe every reaction you have seen because Baby Teeth is one effed-up story. Hanna’s thoughts about her mother are just plain disturbing and seemingly justify the fear Suzette feels when alone with her daughter. Plus, Hanna’s manipulation of her father is sickening. It would be easy to describe Baby Teeth as the story of a child sociopath. However, to do so leaves out key elements of the story which not only add depth but make you realize that not all is black and white in the Jensen show more household.

It is as if Ms. Stage took Oprah’s long-ago advice of putting yourself and your relationship with your significant other ahead of that of your children and started conjuring various scenarios of how that might work. What she put to paper is inventive if disturbing with no clear right or wrong answer to any situation. Therein lies all of the tension and drama of the story, for it is not just about Hanna’s proclivity for manipulation and violence but also the family dynamics wherein the primary caregiver is extremely sick most of the time. I envision book clubs having a field day with the Jensens’ marriage.

There is so much within Baby Teeth to discuss and no easy answers that would allow all readers to come to the same conclusions. In fact, I suspect Ms. Stage leaves certain parts deliberately vague specifically to prod discussions. There are some very difficult scenes within the story that may be a trigger for some readers, so one should not open the novel unless prepared to be thoroughly shocked at everyone’s behavior at some point in time. For all that though, I was mesmerized by Hanna and Suzette as they battled for Alex’s affection. My sympathies varied depending on the scene, and just when I thought I was committed to one particular character, something would happen that would make me question my choice. It is a fascinating study of relationships, sociopathy, and psychology that is akin to watching the train wreck through your fingertips. You cannot look away from the horror before you no matter how much you think you desire it until you resign yourself to having a macabre curiosity and sit back to enjoy the ride. show less