Zoje Stage’s debut novel Baby Teeth was originally published in 2018 and its cover of a smashed red sucker really draws the reader in, and it should. Baby Teeth is a unique and well thought out story that keeps the reader wanting more even after the book is finished while leaving the reader satisfied with the book as a whole. This gripping story follows the seemingly normal Jensen (pronounced Yensen) family, which consists of Suzette, Alex, and Hanna, as they try to navigate life and communicate with a daughter who has yet to find her voice, even at the age of seven. Stage uses her creative abilities to tell the story through Suzette and Hanna’s unique perspectives as they unfold the story of the Jensen family. With her exceptional writing skills, Stage tells a beautifully poetic and horrific story of a family struggling with the extreme behaviours of their young daughter using themes such as mother-daughter relationships, intergenerational trauma, family dynamics, family dysfunction, and child mental illness.
Baby Teeth could fall under a few different genres, but with the overall themes that are heavily present throughout, this book is best classified as a domestic thriller and a psychological thriller. Many themes are incorporated, which are able to mesh really well together, that not only work well with the genres, but they also help give depth to the story and characters. One of the largest themes that can be found in Baby Teeth is the mother-daughter relationship and Suzette and Hanna’s interactions with one another are absolutely fascinating to read about. There is a truly deep love/hate dynamic ever present throughout the plot which helps build tension as the story progresses.
Another big theme that is always lingering in the background is intergenerational trauma and how that affects a generation. Not only does the reader get to learn about Suzette and Hanna’s relationship, the reader also gets to learn about the toxic relationship that Suzette had with her own mother. Trauma that Suzette’s mother endured influenced how she raised and treated Suzette, which in turn influenced how Suzette raised and treated Hanna, which has a direct cause and effect on how Hanna interacts and reacts with the world around her. Stage brilliantly took the mother-daughter relationship to another level by adding in the nuances of intergenerational trauma. Baby Teeth mostly focuses on the mother-daughter relationship but the theme of family dynamics is brought up all throughout the plot. The reader gets to learn about the relationships between Suzette and Alex, Suzette ,and Hanna, and Hanna and Alex, as well as the relationship between all three of them as a family unit. Stage takes these relationships and intricately breaks them down and dissects them during the entire plot. Family dynamics in turn becomes about family dysfunction as well, so the reader is able to see a raw form of the Jensen family in and out of their home.
Lastly, the largest theme in Stage’s debut novel is child mental illness. Baby Teeth gives the reader an in depth look at child mental illness through the eyes of Suzette, as well as in Hanna’s own mind. It is absolutely mesmerising for the reader to learn about Hanna’s mental health challenges through her own point-of-view. Stage uses the character Dr. Beatrix Yamamoto, a psychiatrist who specialises in children’s mental health, as a way of describing and manoeuvring the plot through child mental illness. Baby Teeth’s well thought-out characters deliver a thought-provoking plot about children’s mental health, a topic that is still very much still stigmatised today. Each of Stage’s themes in Baby Teeth interact nicely with each other to create layers to the story, work with each of the characters backgrounds to enhance each of them as the story progresses, and in the end ties the entire novel together with ease.
I have yet to read a story that is as thought provoking and horrifyingly, uniquely elegant as Baby Teeth. While there are not twists and turns that you may expect from a typical thriller, Baby Teeth makes you think and is jaw-dropping the entire way through. If you enjoy the works of Gillian Flynn and CJ Tudor, then you need to do yourself a favour and get your own copy of Baby Teeth. Stage’s second novel Wonderland is set to release in June of 2020 and early reviews show that it will not disappoint. Zoje Stage is an author to watch out for, and I cannot wait to read what she writes in the future!
Baby Teeth is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Meet Hanna.
She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.
Meet Suzette.
She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.
