Book Review: Baby Teeth

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This is my book review of “Baby Teeth” by first-time novelist Zoje Stage.

Book Summary:

Though Suzette Jensen has Crohn’s, a disease that wreaks havoc on her body, she and her husband Alex decide to get pregnant and have one child. That child is Hanna.

Hanna is angry and defiant, growing more aggressive each day, leaving Suzette afraid of her own child.

Suzette loves her daughter, but after years of expulsions, 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.

At seven years old, Hanna has never said a word, although she can read and write. She won’t behave in kindergarten class, so Suzette is forced to homeschool her. Hanna is a sweet-but-silent angel in the eyes of her adoring father, Alex. He’s the only person who understands her.

The only thing that seems to make Hanna happy is when she’s with her father. With him, she’s an entirely different child. His perfect little girl. 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.

As Hanna gets more violent, Suzette has to find a way to get Alex to believe that their own daughter is trying to kill her. That the child, when she is with him, is simply a mirage.

Just how far will Hanna go to get rid of her mother so she can have her daddy all to herself?

My Review:

I admit, when I started reading this book, which is written from the viewpoints of both Suzette and Hanna, I didn’t think I’d be that interested. But a few chapters in, I found myself hooked by the story.

This author has created a character in Hanna that is both believable and yet unbelievably demonic. This book is about a child who is savvy enough to find someone’s weakness and exploit it.

If you don’t think children this young are capable of violence, this will open your eyes and possibly change your mind. Are there more children out there like Hanna? I’m sure there probably are.

How scary would that be? Read this book, and you will wonder that yourself.

This is Zoje Stage’s first novel, and it is a winner.

About The Author:

Zoje Stage is a theatrically trained actor. She learned in acting class how to play evil characters. The author was advised to never think of a character as evil, but to see their motivation as a natural consequence of their life, experiences, and desires.

She says this changed her way of thinking in many areas, and in Baby Teeth, she focused on each character’s truth.