Baby Teeth, Zoje Stage

Here is one I read back in December of 2018. Going to say right now that if you dislike spoilers, then might want to skip over this one. As there are spoilers. And my opinion of this book might be heated. With that out of the way, here is the review I made on my Goodreads.

About the book: (Taken from Goodreads.)

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.

About the author: 

Born on January 22, 1969. Zoje Stage lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her first and only work is Baby teeth, published in July 2018. Zoje Stage is a former filmmaker with a penchant for the dark and suspenseful. Her newest book,  WONDERLAND, will be published by Mulholland Books/Little, Brown in summer 2020. (Bio taken from Goodreads.)

 My review: (Spoiler alert)

I gave this book 1 star and here is why: 

Don't know what went on in the author's mind while writing this. It was the most screwed up story I ever read. I greatly disliked some of the things the author wrote about. I understand that these things could be from real life, but I greatly disagree with the masturbation of a little child, and even more so, when they say the devil was doing so.

I also thought the book portrayed sex in a very negative and derogatory way. Sex is a beautiful act between two people who love each other. And it was a shame it was not portrayed that way, especially when a fair amount of the book was nothing but various acts of sex.

Also, the book never really says exactly what's wrong with the little girl, or why she wants to kill her mother. That alone was disturbing in a very unpleasant way.  I feel this author missed a great opportunity to make this story good. The characters felt weak to me especially the mother. I could understand some things, she did have a bad childhood and her child was basically a "demon", but I felt she could have handled the situation better. The father felt absorbed in his own world and somehow could not see how screwed up his child is.

With the negative stuff said, the book was written nicely and does hold interest to a point. However, this book is one I will not be recommending, and if I owned a copy I would burn it.