Baby Teeth: A Novel

Zoje Stage

Jul 2018 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

One of Entertainment Weekly’s Must-Read Books for July | People Magazine's Book of the Week | One of Bustle's "Fifteen Books With Chilling Protagonists That Will Keep You Guessing" | One of PopSugar's "25 Must-Read Books That Will Make July Fly By!" | One of the "Biggest Thrillers of the Summer"—SheReads | A Barnes and Noble Blog Best Thriller for July! | "New & Noteworthy" —USA Today | "Summer 2018 Must-Read"—Bookish | "One of 11 Crime Novels You Should Read in July"—Crime Reads | "Best Summer Reads for 2018"—Publishers Weekly | "The Five Best Horror Books of 2018-2019"—Forbes

"Gripping"—InStyle
"Propulsive."—New York Times Book Review
"A wholly original and terrifically creepy story."—Refinery29
"A twisty, delirious read"—EntertainmentWeekly.com
"A deliciously creepy read."—New York Post

MEET HANNA: Seven-year-old Hanna is a sweet-but-silent angel in the eyes of her adoring father Alex. He’s the only person who understands her. But her mother Suzette stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

MEET SUZETTE: Suzette loves her daughter, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. She’s also becoming increasingly frightened by Hanna’s little games, while her husband Alex remains blind to the failing family dynamics. Soon, Suzette starts to fear that maybe their supposedly innocent baby girl may have a truly sinister agenda.
A battle of wills between mother and daughter reveals the frailty and falsehood of familial bonds in award-winning playwright and filmmaker Zoje Stage’s tense novel of psychological suspense, Baby Teeth.

“Unnerving and unputdownable, Baby Teeth will get under your skin and keep you trapped in its chilling grip until the shocking conclusion.”—New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline

“We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen...a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A pulse-spiking thriller.”—PopSugar

Ratings and reviews

This is by far the worst book and even worse author I've ever had the displeasure of reading. This woman may be the one in need of mental health guidance! Not her characters. And maybe a lesson in narration, third person, and first person narrative. Is the author a seven year old girl? Because she's narrating the story (sometimes) as though she is. But within the same paragraph, just regular author narration. And then we'll just throw in a little confused, someone else talking narrative within the same paragraph to really throw the reader off. Just because you can use quotations doesn't mean you should! I seriously can't believe an editor and publisher let this POS slide through! The story itself is extremely long-winded, sad, and depressing and leaves the reader asking many questions as to what the hell the point was! Save yourself the money and, more importantly, the time and mental trespass and leave this story alone where it belongs!

Zoje Stage’s debut novel, Baby Teeth, has received very polarized reviews from both readers and critics. The novel tells the story of a young family struggling to parent a child who seems to be extremely disturbed, if not downright evil. As the book opens, 9-year-old Hanna is receiving an MRI, a last-ditch attempt by her parents to see if her mutism has a physiological basis. The news is received with both relief and dismay by her mother, Suzette, who was hoping that her daughter would be able to receive a clear diagnosis and mode of treatment. When it appears that Hanna’s complete lack of verbal or written communication is selective, it is up to Suzette to examine her own contribution to her child’s condition. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of Suzette and Hanna, and the reader is privy to the fact that Hanna harbors some violent designs against her mother. Suzette is desperate to provide her daughter with everything she was deprived of as a child and remains obsessed with appearances, even as her fears and resentments grow. As Hanna’s attacks on Suzette escalate, Suzette attempts to convince her husband that something is seriously wrong with the girl. She even starts to retaliate against Hanna, increasingly treating her like an adult nemesis. Alex (the stereotypical clueless father) is reluctant to believe that Hanna is anything but the sweet little girl that he has witnessed. As he coddles and spoils her, her mother sneers and taunts her. Hanna begins to plot a way to “remove” Suzette from their family so she can be alone with Alex. Since the book has a small cast of characters, Stage creates a claustrophobic feeling that adds to the foreboding tone. Is Hanna’s behavior a result of a congenital psychological disorder, or caused by her parent’s failed efforts at raising her? Do we erroneously assume that love is deserved unconditionally between parents and children and vice versa? There really is no sympathetic character for the reader to side with in the book, and the result can be discomforting. Much of the controversy about Baby Teeth involves the perceived sexualization of a child, presented in an excessive and overt manner. Stage was obviously very inspired by the Freudian concept of the Oedipal Complex when composing this novel. Those readers put off by the descriptions of this element should know that Hanna’s drive is presented as more of a bid for her father’s absolute attention rather than a literal desire for consummation. This book is not for everyone, and most readers will know pretty quickly if Baby Teeth is a selection they can tolerate or would choose to add to their DNF pile.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A nice creepy read! One of every parent's worst nightmares! I found the relationships between the characters to be very realistic. You are able to care for each character including the little girl. Definitely a page turner. A good thriller I'd suggest to anyone who enjoys this genre! #zojestage #babyteeth #bookstagram #bookreview #4star #lallahbookreview #readinginlallahland

About the author

Zoje Stage lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Baby Teeth is her first novel.