Baby Teeth

AUTHOR: Zoje Stage

PUBLISHER: Penguin Books

RRP: $32.99

REVIEWER: Alexia Austin

TOUTED as a mix of We Need to Talk About Kevin meets The Omen, childhood thriller Baby Teeth fails to hold much bite.

Set in San Francisco, mother of one Suzette appears to have it all. A stay-at-home mum, she home schools her seven-year-old daughter Hanna while her Swedish husband Alex runs a successful architecture business.

However, below the surface Suzette is in turmoil – incapacitated by chronic disease she struggles to look after Hanna, who’s erratic behaviour becomes increasingly dangerous.

Melodramatic in parts and implausible in others, the chapters alternate between Suzette and Hanna’s first-person narrative without a change in tone. The juxtaposition aims to build suspense, but only kills it by revealing every move Hanna will make.

Introducing Suzette’s battle with Crohn’s Disease holds the promise of strong character development, however author Zoje Stage soon falls into a repetitive writing pattern quashing all sympathy and substance.

One can see why the book is listed as a thriller – as Hanna’s behaviour deteriorates the outbursts and episodes increase in severity. Ultimately, it leads one to question whether the described attacks are within the capabilities of a seven-year-old.

The book exhibits strengths, namely the exploration of taboo themes – what happens when a child and mother fail to bond, and can children exhibit psychopathic traits. The author focuses on Suzette’s internal battle with guilt and exhaustion, an issue relateable to many new parents, however it is not enough to keep the pages turning.