A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. Zoje Stage Thank you so much, Renee! Maybe not surprisingly, it's a bit of a long story. I'll give you the highlights... Trussoni, Danielle (2020-07-22). "Where Evil Lurks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28 . Retrieved 2020-09-23. ZOJE STAGE delivers quite the chilling tale here that was well-written with an easy to read writing style to make this quite the fast-paced read. The story is told in alternating voices and perspectives between Suzette and Hanna, I enjoyed both of their perspectives equally. The things that Hanna was capable of was downright diabolical and creepy!

These are the questions that Suzette faces day in and day out. Her daughter is not her bouncy, red-cheeked little baby anymore. Her daughter, Hanna, is now a monster, a devil. Through the masterful writing I could feel Suzette’s growing frustration and fear, Hanna’s hatred and determination, and Alex’s baffled reactions.Suzette loves her husband more than anything in this world. They have a daughter, Hanna, who she desperately wants to love too. But she just can’t get there. No connection or bond whatsoever. No, this isn’t just your typical riff between a parent and a teenager. Hanna is only seven. So who’s to blame for this total disconnect? Sweet little Hanna, or emotionally exhausted Suzette? In her debut novel, Zoje Stage has made quite a name for herself. Exploring some dark and disturbing areas of the parent-child relationship, the reader is forced to see a seemingly calm little girl turn against her own mother. Hanna Jensen appears to be quite the average four-year-old girl, with one glaring exception; she does not speak and never has. Countless tests and examinations have left her parents, Alex and Suzette, baffled, as there is nothing physical wrong with her. With her muteness comes the added issue that she is unable to acclimate into any scholastic situation, leaving Suzette to homeschool Hanna. While there is no verbal communication, Hanna’s comprehension and written word is advanced for her young age. What no one has been able to see is that Hanna has another side, a darker side that is focussed on tearing Suzette down in a well-planned manner. Hanna internalises her struggle, but is happy to show her mother an evil side and purposely sabotage any progress that is being made. What begins as simple defecating on the floor turns to barking and, eventually, full-on violence in a school setting. While Suzette tries to come to terms with this, Alex is oblivious and sees only the princess-like girl that Hanna presents on a nightly basis. After Hanna tips her hand and shows off an alter-ego, Suzette is no longer prepared to go at this alone, but Alex remains uncertain that Hanna is to blame for anything. Hanna sets out her own plan to get rid of Suzette once and for all, allowing her to have Alex’s attention forevermore. While Suzette knows it is coming, she is helpless to slay the monster before her, seeing it has taken the form of sweet Hanna Jensen. Stage weaves together quite the disturbing tale here, pitting parental instinct against base survival. Fans who enjoy a diluted psychological thriller may enjoy this one, as its presentation has rounded edges and light spine tingles. Suzette's life and body are in constant turmoil, so it's important that she takes care of the things she does have control over. She's obsessed with keeping a sterile house and making sure her family appears well taken care of. She finds comfort in completing mindless tasks. Suzette is tormented by her physical scars and she's terrified that she'll have to get an ileostomy bag. She thinks that if she lets herself go, Alex might leave her. It is weird, but I like Hanna as a character. She is mad but the author did a fantastic job with her personalities. I wasn't afraid while I was reading, but Hanna's POV gave me a creepy vibe. When she stood in front of her mother with a hammer and her mother Suzette just creeps out, I thought that 'OK Suzette, you are more insane than your daughter. Just call the police PLS.'

The premise of this novel is very simple: A seven-year-old terrorizes her mother but puts on an innocent face for Daddy, driving a wedge between the couple and driving the mom to desperation. Think The Orphan (2009) meets We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). With that out of the way, we can move on to the merits and non-redeeming qualities of this book, shall we?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.😕

I nearly didn’t finish this book. I found it to be THAT ridiculous with nothing remarkable about the writing style to keep me hooked. But, as we readers often do, I just HAD to trudge on to see if my mind would be magically changed in the end. It wasn’t, though the end result of the book was one of the better parts of the plot, so at least there’s that, right? 2 stars ** What would you do if your child hated you? Really and truly hated you? Hated you so much , in fact, that she wanted to eliminate you?Several years ago, while I was still pursuing a career as a filmmaker, I wrote a script that I wanted to direct called "Hands and Knees." It involved a family similar to BABY TEETH's, but the theme was quite different: it was about a woman who was becoming overwhelmed by what she perceived to be the horrors of domesticity. As an intended film, it was geared more toward mood (cool, detached) and a cinematic look. This is not a fun read. It’s gripping, but it’s really hard for me to imagine a child who hates her mother so much. I’ve read stories of kids who are physically and emotionally abused by a parent, and still the kid professes love for his or her parent. So to have a child so young purposely trying to do anything she can to destroy a non-abusive mother is extremely foreign to me. How’s my squirrely girl?” ...... Providing optimistic perky happiness of possibilities? —- sure ..... deny deny deny.... no problems with his little angle —- HANNA LOVES DADDY! I’m guessing ‘Daddy’ will face up to the problems pretty soon....but for now - he prefers to deny them. I love the evil child trope. I live for this kind of thriller in a book and the movie. My all-time favorite movie is Orphan. So I felt that I would love this book. There's not enough room in the house for both Hanna and her Mommy! Seven-year-old Hanna would be so much happier if Mommy would just disappear so that she and her Daddy could live happily ever after. Through Hanna and Suzette's (Mommy) eyes, we see their daily battles to maintain control in an unpredictable, ever-changing world and what it's like to maneuver through life when no one will hear you. The people in this story are permanently tied together by blood, but have toxic effects on each other. ( Warning: After the ARC disclaimer, I get a little spoilery talking about a part of the book that came up in my comment section, though I don't really consider it a true spoiler. The content may be upsetting for some.)

The book opens with Hanna at the hospital having a CT scan. It’s not her first. There have been many tests. Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley. Baby Teeth was a blast for me to read. Perfect for fans of Horror movies such as The Omen, Orphan and Case 39.As I said earlier, this book won’t be for everyone. I do wonder if it would fit more into the horror genre. I found it diabolical and creepy and I’m really glad I read it. “Baby Teeth” is definitely a book I won’t soon forget. I’m very curious to see what Zoje Stage is going to come up with next. This is a book about a demented, cruel, entirely too precocious to be realistic, mute seven year old girl. It's about a mom who has no confidence in herself and a dad who is willingly oblivious to any fault in his child, placing his child before his wife, when there is any question about the child acting out. The ending could suggest a sequel, especially because it seems like the book ended when there was so much more to learn...when finally things were going somewhere.