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A review by saylaurmoon
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
4.0
↠ 4.25 stars ⭐︎
As someone who is child-free by choice, I can personally summarize this book with just 5 words: Birth control in a novel.
Disclaimer: Contains several spoilers.
Deliciously disturbing and unnerving, Baby Teeth is the story of Suzette, mother to mute 7-year-old, Hanna. While Suzette suffers from a chronic illness, she works tirelessly to be the best mother and wife she can be. But Hanna is more than she bargained for, and Suzette harbors a hidden resentment for her daughter. What did she do to deserve such a troubled daughter as Hanna? And Hanna loves her Daddy, Alex, significantly more than her Mommy. So much so that she desires to achieve one gruesome goal: to rid the world of her Mommy for good, so that she can have Daddy all to herself.
Only acting out in the presence of Mommy, Hanna begins to torment Suzette. She starts small, with annoying acts such as giving her mother a box full of spiders or stealing precious jewelry and flushing down the toilet. Gradually, Hanna’s scare tactics become more disturbing, and Suzette tries to talk to her husband about her concerns. However, Alex is in denial. Hanna manipulates her Daddy to be on her side of the war by showcasing a sweet and innocent facade she believes only he deserves. How could Daddy’s perfect baby girl be capable of anything so malicious? However, with each failure to kill her Mommy, Hanna’s attempts become increasingly more horrifying and violent than the last, and Daddy begins to learn the truth about how dangerous his daughter is. Her lack of remorse and strategically calculated violent acts toward Suzette are deeply disturbing, and serious action must be taken to ensure his wife’s safety. Could his precious lilla gumman really be a psychopath?
Truthfully, the first half of the novel struggled to hold my attention. However, once I hit about the 45% mark, I couldn’t put it down. The storytelling was eerie and gripping, and each of Hanna’s attempts elicited a gasp of horror. Unexpectedly, the novel ended on a cliffhanger, but in a way that allows the reader to draw their own conclusion to the story. I certainly have mine—
I also really enjoyed Suzette and Hanna as characters, both were very well-written and complex. Regardless of Hanna’s disturbing actions, I found myself being pulled into moments of both softness and hardness for both of them. And they exhibit striking similarities to one another in several ways:
• Each of them has a deep-seated fear of failure: Suzette’s obsession with the clean house and being attractive enough for Alex to stay; Hanna not wanting to speak for fear of her words not making sense.
• Both struggle with communication: Suzette feels unseen and unheard by her husband, just as she was by her mother, and often seeks the guidance of other adults, such as therapists or principals; Hanna, because of her refusal to talk, has a barrier in her way of communicating, and she feels that her Daddy understands her in ways that Mommy will never even try to.
• They each have their own masks they wear: In Hanna’s mind, Suzette has Bad Mommy and Good Mommy; Hanna is malicious and monstrous when she is around Suzette and occasionally others, but with Alex, she is doting, affectionate, and angelic.
• They both held expectations for one another that they failed to meet. Suzette desired a normal daughter who went to school, communicated verbally, and enjoyed her company—instead, her daughter rejected and tormented her. Hanna pushed her mother away but expected that Mommy would try harder to love her and understand her for who she is—instead, Suzette gave up on her. Ultimately, this deep-seated mutual resentment for each other was the fuel for the toxic, dysfunctional war against each other they fell into.
I will say that Alex drove me NUTS. While his personality was certainly charming, I believe his denial of Hanna’s deplorable actions and neglect of Suzette’s concerns is what prolonged the issue. There’s no doubt that we all want to see the best in the people we love, whether they be our family or friends, but he continued to deny what so many people—including his wife—were trying to tell him. I’m glad he finally woke up and saw the truth and seriousness of what was occurring and agreed to take action for Suzette’s safety.
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to readers who are comfortable with dark and unsettling themes. The story was enthralling, creepy, and deeply disturbing. With each page turn, I was in utter disbelief that a child could not only hold such deep resentment for their mother that her only desire was to see her dead, but also be so tactical and calculated in her attempts to kill. Truly nightmare fuel. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and should be read at your own risk, as it is not for everyone.
As someone who is child-free by choice, I can personally summarize this book with just 5 words: Birth control in a novel.
Disclaimer: Contains several spoilers.
“It was hard to pour endless love into someone who wouldn’t love you back. No one could do it forever.”
Deliciously disturbing and unnerving, Baby Teeth is the story of Suzette, mother to mute 7-year-old, Hanna. While Suzette suffers from a chronic illness, she works tirelessly to be the best mother and wife she can be. But Hanna is more than she bargained for, and Suzette harbors a hidden resentment for her daughter. What did she do to deserve such a troubled daughter as Hanna? And Hanna loves her Daddy, Alex, significantly more than her Mommy. So much so that she desires to achieve one gruesome goal: to rid the world of her Mommy for good, so that she can have Daddy all to herself.
"She’s smart enough to make sure you never believe me.”
Only acting out in the presence of Mommy, Hanna begins to torment Suzette. She starts small, with annoying acts such as giving her mother a box full of spiders or stealing precious jewelry and flushing down the toilet. Gradually, Hanna’s scare tactics become more disturbing, and Suzette tries to talk to her husband about her concerns. However, Alex is in denial. Hanna manipulates her Daddy to be on her side of the war by showcasing a sweet and innocent facade she believes only he deserves. How could Daddy’s perfect baby girl be capable of anything so malicious? However, with each failure to kill her Mommy, Hanna’s attempts become increasingly more horrifying and violent than the last, and Daddy begins to learn the truth about how dangerous his daughter is. Her lack of remorse and strategically calculated violent acts toward Suzette are deeply disturbing, and serious action must be taken to ensure his wife’s safety. Could his precious lilla gumman really be a psychopath?
“Was their illusion of family so fragile that neither of them could confront the specter of imperfection?”
Truthfully, the first half of the novel struggled to hold my attention. However, once I hit about the 45% mark, I couldn’t put it down. The storytelling was eerie and gripping, and each of Hanna’s attempts elicited a gasp of horror. Unexpectedly, the novel ended on a cliffhanger, but in a way that allows the reader to draw their own conclusion to the story. I certainly have mine—
Spoiler
and I have no doubt that Hanna, with her terrifying cleverness and resolve, was able to trick her way out of that mental facility and ultimately kill Suzette.I also really enjoyed Suzette and Hanna as characters, both were very well-written and complex. Regardless of Hanna’s disturbing actions, I found myself being pulled into moments of both softness and hardness for both of them. And they exhibit striking similarities to one another in several ways:
• Each of them has a deep-seated fear of failure: Suzette’s obsession with the clean house and being attractive enough for Alex to stay; Hanna not wanting to speak for fear of her words not making sense.
• Both struggle with communication: Suzette feels unseen and unheard by her husband, just as she was by her mother, and often seeks the guidance of other adults, such as therapists or principals; Hanna, because of her refusal to talk, has a barrier in her way of communicating, and she feels that her Daddy understands her in ways that Mommy will never even try to.
• They each have their own masks they wear: In Hanna’s mind, Suzette has Bad Mommy and Good Mommy; Hanna is malicious and monstrous when she is around Suzette and occasionally others, but with Alex, she is doting, affectionate, and angelic.
• They both held expectations for one another that they failed to meet. Suzette desired a normal daughter who went to school, communicated verbally, and enjoyed her company—instead, her daughter rejected and tormented her. Hanna pushed her mother away but expected that Mommy would try harder to love her and understand her for who she is—instead, Suzette gave up on her. Ultimately, this deep-seated mutual resentment for each other was the fuel for the toxic, dysfunctional war against each other they fell into.
I will say that Alex drove me NUTS. While his personality was certainly charming, I believe his denial of Hanna’s deplorable actions and neglect of Suzette’s concerns is what prolonged the issue. There’s no doubt that we all want to see the best in the people we love, whether they be our family or friends, but he continued to deny what so many people—including his wife—were trying to tell him. I’m glad he finally woke up and saw the truth and seriousness of what was occurring and agreed to take action for Suzette’s safety.
“I won’t let my daughter be my undoing.”
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to readers who are comfortable with dark and unsettling themes. The story was enthralling, creepy, and deeply disturbing. With each page turn, I was in utter disbelief that a child could not only hold such deep resentment for their mother that her only desire was to see her dead, but also be so tactical and calculated in her attempts to kill. Truly nightmare fuel. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and should be read at your own risk, as it is not for everyone.
“Don’t you love me?” … “Not enough”