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Book Review: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage.

St. Martin’s Press, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1250170750

Available: Hardcover, paperback, mass market paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Stage enters the collection of novels about creepy kids with a solid entry that is tough to categorize. Some might call it horror, others a thriller, but many would consider it to be a family drama– all depending on what the reader discerns is the true dilemma facing the family between the covers of this engrossing book.

While it may be compared to The Bad Seed and The Omen, Baby Teeth doesn’t attempt to mimic either story. It is content to narrate its own tale, that gradually and organically grows from something trite and familiar, into a final product that will either have readers scratching their heads, or shaking them with disbelief. Both could be a good thing– or utterly frustrating.

The Jensens are a normal family, at least until little Hanna comes along. Suzette and Alex have no idea what’s in store for them when this little seven-year-old unleashes her terror on them– well, just on Suzette. Hanna worships her daddy and shows him only the sunshine in her damaged soul. She saves the darkness for mommy.

The alternating point of view between Hanna and Suzette might recall shades of Gone Girl, but the story is not as complex. It is, however, almost as twisted. Stage constructs a story that takes the reader on a mind-bending journey that flits between reality and something that might be just a little into the realm of horror. Is little Hanna possessed by the spirit of a witch who was burned at the stake in the 17th century? Is she pure evil? Or is she something different?

When the Jensens’ home situation dissolves into pure hell, Hanna targets her mother, but in a subtle manner, choosing to remain mute, except for in a special instance. Suzette and Alex send her off to a special school, only to have her return soon afterwards, for reasons that remain mysterious.

Readers who are seeking pat answers and conclusions that will cross every T and dot every I might find some issue with Baby Teeth in its construction, yet that’s also what makes the novel work so well. While it has more in common with Gone Girl and domestic suspense than horror or supernatural stories, that isn’t a bad thing. Stage’s writing renders the plot lean, and the characters strong. He takes chances with styles and pulls off more hits than misses. This novel breathes new life into a sub-genre that has long needed a book to spin a new angle. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Editor’s note: Baby Teeth is a nominee on the final ballot of the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievment in a First Novel.

Posted on May 10, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

The Cabin at the End of the World  by Paul Tremblay

William Morrow. 2018

ISBN-13: 978-0062679109

Available: Hardcover, paperback, mass market paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

Paul Tremblay is at it again, screwing with the minds of readers, playing a morality game that results in a twisted read worthy of film version due to its close characters, claustrophobic setting, and themes that he refuses to shy away from.

Tremblay’s previous books, A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, both toyed with the reader’s sense of reality and the supernatural. In The Cabin at the End of the World, Tremblay drags the reader into what seems to be a simple home invasion story. Nothing is what it seems, though: this is a tight, utterly uncomfortable, well-told tale of horror that requires the reader’s intellect and intuition to untangle whether there is a supernatural factor to the story

A young girl, Wen, plays outside with her grasshoppers, while her parents, Eric and Andrew, are inside, relaxing on a peaceful family vacation in the woods of New Hampshire. Nothing is supposed to be anywhere near them: no stores, neighbors, or distractions.

Then Leonard arrives. A hulking man, he speaks calmly to her and appeals to her innocence before announcing, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault. You haven’t done anything wrong, but the three of you will have to make some tough decisions. I wish with all my broken heart you didn’t have to.” Three strangers emerge from the woods and enter the cabin. They  inform the family that the end of the world is inevitable, unless the parents make a heart-wrenching decision that will ruin them.  Are these strangers cold-blooded psychopaths who sought out this family, or is there something more at play?

The way Tremblay paints the characters of both the family and the intruders, is what drives the story. To say more would kill the suspense, but suffice it to say, the emotional heft of this tale will leave a scar behind.

Highly recommended reading for readers of great suspense.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Editor’s note: The Cabin at the End of the World  is a nominee for the 2018 Stoker Award in the category Superior Achievement in a Novel. 

Posted on March 13, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay
William Morrow Books, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0062363275
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, library binding, audiobook, audio CD

Last year’s Stoker winner for best novel was one of the least anticipated in many years. People who read it knew that A Head Full of Ghosts was a shoo-in; it simply was one of the strongest horror novels in several years.  Paul Tremblay’s characters seemed as real as the next-door neighbors, despite the suggestion of supernatural involvement in the events of the story, the multiple perspectives he used were smoothly integrated, yet somehow formed a disorienting and frightening narrative.

Disappearance aat Devil’s Rock is a definite departure in terms of tone and style. It’s a subtle tale, yet one with plenty of tension and plot twists. From the first page, it’s as if Tremblay is whispering to the reader in a dark and secluded New England pub on a chilly autumn evening. What begins as a simple case of a missing teenager turns into something quite sinister that tears at the fabric of a family’s sanity.

Elizabeth Sanderson receives that dreaded call– Tommy, her teenage son has gone missing.  He disappeared in Borderland Park at his friends’ favorite hangout, Devil’s Rock. One night, pages of Tommy’s journal begin to appear on the floor of the house, opening a box of puzzle pieces that don’t quite seem to fit together.  Elizabeth, her daughter Kate, and her mother Janice, struggle to figure out what the late night pages mean. As Elizabeth delves into the mystery, she finds that everyone has a different version of what happened, and that Tommy’s friends are hiding something, or someone. There are even sightings of him around town: is there a chance that Tommy is still alive?

Where Tremblay succeeds in his novels, and this has been noted in several other reviews, is in focusing on the spaces between words, actions, and characters’ relationships. The supernatural may be a component of Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, or just an illusion. This is a thinking reader’s horror/thriller/mystery/suspense novel, but it is as accessible and quick a read as any bestselling page-turner, and might be the one to break down the genre walls for Tremblay.  Recommended.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Posted on October 24, 2018 by , Reply
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