Baby Teeth

A Novel

By: Zoje Stage

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

A battle of wills between mother and daughter reveals the frailty and falsehood of familial bonds in award-winning playwright and filmmaker Zoje Stage’s tense audiobook of psychological suspense, Baby Teeth.

Afflicted with a chronic debilitating condition, Suzette Jensen knew having children would wreak havoc on her already fragile body. Nevertheless, she brought Hanna into the world, pleased and proud to start a family with her husband Alex. Estranged from her own mother, Suzette is determined to raise her beautiful daughter with the love, care, and support she was denied. 

But Hanna proves to be a difficult child. Now seven years old, she has yet to utter a word, despite being able to read and write. Defiant and anti-social, she refuses to behave in kindergarten classes, forcing Suzette to homeschool her. Resentful of her mother’s rules and attentions, Hanna lashes out in anger, becoming more aggressive every day. The only time Hanna is truly happy is when she’s with her father. To Alex, she’s willful and precocious but otherwise the perfect little girl, doing what she’s told. 

Suzette knows her clever and manipulative daughter doesn’t love her. She can see the hatred and jealousy in her eyes. And as Hanna’s subtle acts of cruelty threaten to tear her and Alex apart, Suzette fears her very life may be in grave danger....

“We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen...a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.” (Entertainment Weekly)

©2018 Zoje Stage (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Unnerving and unputdownable, Baby Teeth will get under your skin and keep you trapped in its chilling grip until the shocking conclusion." (New York Times best-selling author Lisa Scottoline)

"Imagine We Need to Talk About Kevin only with insight into what Kevin was thinking and if Eva had fought back. This dark, terrifying novel unfolds as a battle of wits between a struggling mother and her psychotic young daughter and its genius is that the reader’s allegiance isn’t allowed to linger too long on either side. You’ll be desperate to discuss the ending once you’ve recovered from the shock of it. A must-read." (Catherine Ryan Howard, USA Today best-selling author of Distress Signals)

Just ok

I found myself being really annoyed with the characters and frustrated by them for different reasons through the book. The daughter is definitely creepy, but it just didn't grip me or give me chills, or give me enough suspense. It was pretty typical mom gives up career to be stay at home mom to weird child, who is clearly in need of professional help, while the husband pretends like everything is great and ignores the fact that his child barks at people, causes bodily harm to her mother and others, and sets fires. Sorry - insert eye roll here. Every time I considered turning off the book I decided to push through and keep going since I spent one of my precious credits on this based on the reviews. The reviews were so good, I kept going back to them thinking maybe I missed something. I convinced myself the story would get better but it just didn't for me. It wasn't terrible. I finished it, but the end was super annoying and made me wish I'd stopped sooner and not wasted 4 more hours. If you're looking for something to really keep you in suspense and give you the creeps, this isn't it. As for the performance, it was pretty good overall.

Really Disliked

As I was listening, I kept wondering if this was the same book that got so many great reviews. I couldn't stand any of the characters. They were all the WORST. It wasn't creepy. It wasn't good. It was just bad. I found myself wanting to slap the characters and rolling my eyes constantly. I couldn't wait for it to end.

Not worth the time

I love books and don't give up on them easily however I really struggled to finish this one. The narrator tried to make every sentence so dramatic it became very annoying. The little girl in the story went from thinking like a 3 year old (calling things poo poo head) to knowing how to try to poison her mom and speaking multiple languages. The story was so far fetched and unbelievable. And the child's behavior never was really explained. The only reason I finished was in hope it would get better. It didn't.

Immediately Gripping

This was a chilling portrayal of twisted psychology, and, surprisingly, Crohn's Disease. Remind me never to get that disease. Or this family. The level of disturbing unease over what those you love can hide from you gradually rises throughout the book, and gets EXTREMELY intense. If you are looking for an intimate glimpse into the creepy things that can go on behind someone else's eyes, this is the book for you. I'll just say that if you have any trust issues with people close to you, you probably shouldn't read it. You may never trust anyone again. I sometimes listen to more than one book at once and jump back and forth depending on my mood, but this one had me hooked all the way through. I found myself frustrated with some of the parenting decisions, but even so it was impossible not to feel for these people. It was also easy to see how they could choose to do things as they did, even though I might not. In my mind, that is a sign of good writing and well developed characters. And the story itself was so engrossing it was hard to turn it off. I was very impressed with this book. If I could change one thing, it would be the overuse of the word giggle. If you say "giggle" a thousand times, you really need to say "laugh" at least once or twice. But this was a minor annoyance alongside many wonderful things about this book.

Buy now..the negativity is so very WRONG!

I don't typically write reviews for books. I myself buy and listen to books based on the descriptions, the sample, and if it is similar to other novels I have enjoyed. However, I felt compelled to write a review to counterbalance the negative ones that this book received. I listen and read A LOT OF BOOKS, in a typical week I can finish a minimum of 5 books, and probably start at least another 5. I often buy books that I can switch between narration and reading. I do not watch tv, I listen to books all day long it's my thing. First, I thought the narrator did a lovely job portraying the characters in this book and I found her very easy to listen too. I have books that I have finished reading instead of listening too because the story was fantastic, but I could not stand the narrators' voice to get through the first chapter. I bought this book before going to bed one evening despite the negative reviews and thought if nothing else it would at least put me to sleep. I LITERALLY woke up at 2 AM and HAD to start listening again! One review stated that the child in the story is not realistic, that child “(calling things poo poo head) to knowing how to try to poison her mom and speaking multiple languages, is too far-fetched to believe”. I will tell you that I have been a psychiatric and mental health nurse for 12 years and this book is closer to fiction that you would like to really believe. I think that is why I found this book to very chilling, disturbing, and enthralling – because the stories that scare me the most are the ones that present a very possible reality.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! From a Hard-to-Please-Critic

This book is a must read if you like psychological suspense thrillers. It starts in the first few pages and pulls you right in. It really never gets boring or slows down. When I'd get ibtwrrupted, I'd rewind do so I didn't miss a second of it. I'm definitely hard to please and rarely write reviews, but I truly hope and PRAY she comes out with a sequel to this book!!!!

Perfectly creepy

This audiobook was riveting and creepy and scary. I could only listen for a bit at a time as it made me so tense. If you like unlikeable , dysfunctional characters look no further. I loved this creepy tale . The narration is perfect. Gabra Zachman also narrates I’ll Be Gone In The Dark and This Is How It Always Is.

Left me Waiting for a Follow-up Novel

This novel kept me guessing what would happen in the end, and I have to say, I was surprised. The way it ended leaves you wanting to know more about the future of the characters but not in a cliff-hanger way. The behavior of a few characters is frustrating and sometimes doesn't seem realistic. The father sometimes doesn't seem "real" and relatable at times- though his development improves by the end of the book. This book is unusual in where many novels have you pulling back and forth between which characters you are "rooting for". I found myself terrified of this child and never "wanted her to win". This book is definitely worth the credit spent.

Wow

This was a creepy thriller with brilliant narration. A mother's worst nightmare come to life.

Chilling and enthralling

Performed excellently, this books forces introspection into your own familial dynamics, and questions your knowledge of child development. Exciting, cringeworthy, and entertaining.