Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage is a crazy psychological thriller about the most dysfunctional relationship between a mother and a child ever. The plot will get compared to The Omen, the Richard Donner film from the 1970’s, but where that plot involved a supernatural presence this book does not which makes it a little scarier. The writing in Baby Teeth is really great with a lot of really clever metaphors and passages. The pace of the book is really fast and very hard to put down. The theme and meaning running through the book is selfishness which all main characters have and is manifested in different ways: selfishness in career, selfishness in alone time, and selfishness of love. You could make arguments for which character was the most selfish. The psychological aspect of the book is done really well and is explained that even this C student in Psychology can understand. Hanna is a 7 year-old mute and a big part of the book relies on reading her gestures, which are described so well. I was never lost on what she was trying to convey. The ending was a little underwhelming I think it worked for the story but I was left wanting a little more. This story is crazy in a good way and goes to shocking places. Baby Teeth is no holds barred in its’ brutality but it works and seems plausible in the narrative that Zoje Stage has set up. I can totally see the character of Suzette on the am I the asshole reddit forum for what Hanna is doing to her. I think this book would be an interesting study for a Psychology class discussion. Baby Teeth was published by St. Martin’s Press in August 9 2018.

Plot Summary: Hanna is 7 and a mute by choice which would drive any parent a little crazy. Suzette is the mom that is losing her identity and having a hard time connecting to her daughter. She worries more about failing as a parent then connecting with her child, but Hanna doesn’t make it easy. Hanna thinks her mom is her mortal enemy and in competition for her daddy’s love. There is no sharing his love in her eyes; she needs it all. The only way she can achieve that is by removing her mother by any means necessary. Hanna’s dad is totally oblivious to all of this, as he is focused on his career and likes being a part-time dad. Hanna imagines herself in a fairy tale that must kill her evil mother to gain the love of her father. This book is crazy and this summary just scratches the surface of the plot for this book.

What I Liked: How crazy this book goes, and it just keeps ramping it up. I like the fairy tale aspect of the book and how it can get twisted by Hanna who thinks of herself as the hero and an innocent victim. The humor in this book is wicked but there’s a good deal of uncomfortable and awkward humor like Hanna walking in during sex. I really like how selfishness was explored in the book. The book took time to explain the psychology so the reader can grasp what is going on. The tension is all the way through this novel, and rarely lets up. The writing is so good, I was really impressed with a number of passages that were so brutal but also beautiful. The main characters are all well developed, and at various parts of the book you really care and sympathize with all of them.

What I Disliked: The ending while I will say the ending worked it is a whimper of an ending when I was expecting a bang. I was left slightly satisfied but still wanting more. Like a flash forward into the future or if this was a true horror one more chance to enact revenge.

Recommendation: This book is crazy and I totally recommend you check it out. This book will not be for everyone and is a true horror story to expecting mothers. But maybe this book can be a litmus test for bad children, like you think your kid is bad read this. I can not say enough about the writing and narrative. I rated Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage 5 out 5 stars. This was my first read for Zoje Stage and will not be my last. I was given a free copy of Mothered through Netgalley and intend to read it soon.