Then there is Hannah, who refused to talk even though she is physically capable of doing so and does so as her alter ego. Her thoughts and actions are those of a much older person, not those of an isolated, mute seven year old. Hannah thinks that life would be perfect if she could murder her mom and have dad all to herself and her attempts to do so escalate until Alex finally has to believe that his daughter is a sociopath/psychopath. Once appropriate action has taken place, the book abruptly ends, just when I was hoping we could learn more. We do learn one thing from Hannah and that is that her mom had better watch out! I hate to finish like a negative Nancy. So, I add this: the cover is striking and I love the title! Too bad about the book.😕 O'Sullivan, Michael (19 June 2020). "Moving yet unsentimental Aussie film 'Babyteeth' is worth your time". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 19 June 2020. This story is a story you think you know. It's a classic The Omen-style, evil child trope, which frankly, is one of my favorites.

The writing style was gripping. I adored that the father was Swedish, and he usually used a Swedish word. It was special. I like that he calls Hanna his lilla gumman. Sometimes she wished she could remember being in Mommy’s tummy. Were they both really happy then? When their blood was all jumbled up and they shared a mystery? Ehrlich, David (4 September 2019). " 'Babyteeth' Review: Eliza Scanlen Leads Vibrant and Touching Australian Cancer Drama". IndieWire . Retrieved 4 September 2019.THIS BOOK seems to me - to be an intentionally disturbing novel - for the pure pleasure of the thrill. It’s ugly and non-inspiring. It ‘is’........absorbing.....but I’m not proud of myself reading it. Mitchell was happy to see me take a leap off the porn wagon and had much excite about our potentially stabby windfall as well . . . . Maybe it had been a mistake, trying to set Mommy on fire. If only she’d known how long it took for things - or people - to fully ignite.

I received this book for free from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. It will be available on July 17, 2018! Baby Teeth is a "psychological" thriller focusing on a dysfunctional family and their child with disturbing behavior. Alex, the father, does not want to see or believe that his daughter has behavioral/emotional problems. His daughter behaves around him, she is loving and, although she does not speak, she has her own way of communicating with him. Suzette, the Mother, is homeschooling her daughter while dealing with the symptoms of her Crohn's disease. Suzette is the target or her daughter, Hanna’s, "bad" behaviors. Hanna begins to speak to her Mother and really wants her father all to herself. She is clever, manipulative, and unwilling to speak. She does not like going to traditional schools and engages in behaviors which result in her leaving the traditional school environment. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve seen Baby Teeth listed as a thriller; it wasn’t that at all, but it COULD have been. It probably would have been a much more enjoyable read—cringe-worthy moments in the plot and all—if it had been written from Suzette’s POV only. Then we could have seen her mounting terror and desperation and feel it in a more pure form—the way that she did. But Stage decided to try her hand at writing in a child’s voice via Hanna's chapters and it Did. Not. Work. Honestly, a terrible idea given the level of skill she displayed in this novel. Not only did it take away from the suspense to know exactly what Hanna was going to do next from her POV, but the clunky and inauthentic way in which Stage wrote Hanna made reading her chapters a real chore. Of course, I understand that Stage was attempting to speak simplistically, as a child might, but it didn’t sound anything like a seven-year-old’s way of speech and mannerisms in the slightest. Her editor would have done better to tell her to hold off on that. For Suzette’s safety and Hanna’s best interests, Beatrix suggested that the Jensens send her to a children’s psychiatric facility called Marshes. Reluctantly, they agreed. They went on Tuesday as a family, and Suzette helped Hanna make a stuffed toy of the UnderSlumberBumbleBeast, a character from her favorite book. The next day, without telling Hanna where they were going, they drove to the facility in rural Pennsylvania. They left Hanna without goodbyes, and when she realized what was happening, she ran after them, crying and clutching her toy. Suzette felt that she was returning to normal, and felt a guilty joy that her daughter was gone. Weeks went by until they got a call from Marshes. Hanna was on the phone, speaking in her own voice for the first time. She asked to come home, and while Alex wanted to let her, Suzette gave a firm no. Furious, Hanna resolved to become the best girl ever so that she could come home and get revenge.