Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

I have been craving thrillers that I can lose myself in recently, and this one sounded like it would fit the bill perfectly! I was kindly gifted an ARC of this book (out 17 July 2018!) by my friend Nikki (Saturday Night Reader.)

Baby Teeth alternates between the perspectives of mother and daughter, Suzette and Hanna. Seven year old Hanna doesn’t speak, and her and Suzette have a strange relationship to say the least! Hanna is the creepiest child character I have ever read, hands down! You don’t have to progress too far into the plot to see exactly what I mean by this (no spoilers here, don’t worry!). She gave me serious Damien (The Exorcist) vibes, and I think if you’re looking for a creepy summer thriller you’ll enjoy dipping into Suzette and Hanna’s complex and troubled relationship.

I appreciated Suzette’s character, particularly  the parts of her narrative that described her experience with Crohn’s disease. It is so rare to come across a character in a work of fiction that grapples with a chronic illness, and this is the first I’ve seen Crohn’s specially featured. Her experiences are candid and deftly written by Stage to really bring perspective to Suzette’s character, and share some perspective into what life with this condition can be like.

This was a decently paced psychological thriller with some horror thrown in toward the end of the novel, but I did finish it feeling somewhat dissatisfied (perhaps there is a sequel on the cards?!). Stage crafted two fascinating, albeit troubled, characters and I found I wanted to know what was next in their story!

3.5/5 ⭐️