With Teeth
Kristen Arnett
1 ratings • 1 reviews
With Teeth
Kristen Arnett
1 ratings • 1 reviews
From the author of the New York Times-bestselling sensation Mostly Dead Things a surprising and moving story of two mothers, one difficult son, and the limitations of marriage, parenthood, and love If she's being honest, Sammie Lucas is scared of her son. Working from home in the close quarters of their Florida house, she lives with one wary eye peeled on Samson, a sullen, unknowable boy who resists her every attempt to bond with him. Uncertain in her own feelings about motherhood, she tries her best—driving, cleaning, cooking, prodding him to finish projects for school—while growing increasingly resentful of Monika, her confident but absent wife. As Samson grows from feral toddler to surly teenager, Sammie's life begins to deteriorate into a mess of unruly behavior, and her struggle to create a picture-perfect queer family unravels. When her son's hostility finally spills over into physical aggression, Sammie must confront her role in the mess—and the possibility that it will never be clean again. Blending the warmth and wit of Arnett's breakout hit, Mostly Dead Things, with a candid take on queer family dynamics, With Teeth is a thought-provoking portrait of the delicate fabric of family—and the many ways it can be torn apart.
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2.75 stars
I have... a lot of unfinished thoughts about this book. I hesitate to give it this rating because usually any ratings under 3 stars, for me, mean it was difficult to get through and I constantly had to force myself to read it, which wasn't always true for this book. However, I hated pretty much all the characters. I know they weren't supposed to be likeable, but they were so utterly insufferable that this book was difficult to read at times. And not only were they insufferable, they often felt like caricatures whose traits were exaggerated to be unlikeable. Like why was Samson purely awful? (Maybe this was the point... since Sammie is an unreliable narrator). But still, the times in which he literally didn't respond to people talking to him or did horrifying things in public, it was just so unbelievable that a person like Samson would exist.
Also, the relationship between Sammie and Samson was confusing to me... maybe this was the point, to describe how moms feel towards their kids unconditionally (once again, me not understanding literature lol). However, there were times when Sammie feels so much motherly love for Samson (like watching him sleep, or smelling him). However, he never seems to talk to her or have any redeeming actions towards her (besides a couple moments towards the end of the book). Sammie also always talks about "mothering" and the actions of doing that, feeling like a mom, but that seems to contradict the many times where she literally wants nothing to do with Samson. Although maybe that's the complexity Arnett is trying to convey that comes with motherhood.
I did like the short, 1-page digressions from peripheral characters! It was interesting to see their points of view and it was a good de-centering of Sammie's thoughts (especially because she annoyed me so much lol).
Ultimately, I think there are other books that explore themes of motherhood (although perhaps not with the queer aspect) in an interesting way - for me, "The Push" comes to mind in particular. I didn't feel like this book brought a critical lens to queer motherhood like I thought it would, which was one of the main disappointments for me.
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