With Teeth

A Novel

By: Kristen Arnett

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, VOGUE, MARIE CLAIRE, READER'S DIGEST, AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

“A gripping read…Unabashedly queer, probing and unafraid…Exceedingly engaging.”—USA Today

“Sublimely weird, fluently paced, brazenly funny and gayer still, and it richly deserves to find readers.”—New York Times

From the author of the New York Times best-selling 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.

©2021 Kristen Arnett (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A beautiful, startling demystification of queer family . . . a portrait of a woman who is, at once, wholly ordinary and not quite like any literary mother who came before."—Vogue

“Sublimely weird, fluently paced, brazenly funny.”—New York Times

“[A] gloriously messy, eminently Floridian tale of family dysfunction. . . . Arnett pays brutal, forensic attention to the pain that festers when family members ignore their wounds and those that they inflict on others.”—The Atlantic

Wild ride

I was very intrigued, from the start. But the ending felt sudden and abrupt. I wanted more final action of understanding, but I guess the lack of understanding lends to the whole experience

Spoiler Alert!

I was really invested in the characters in this story but the ending fell flat! There were a lot of loose ends just left to the imagination.

Good not Great!

it was ok...the author was really descriptive but I felt like there were lots of roads to nowhere. The story has some good parts but lots of parts that didn't tie together.

Whoa~!

I just realized I never left a review for this book and it deserves one as it was one of the most original and compelling books I read in 2021. It's a character driven story that gives us a raw but honest glimpse into motherhood when it is not the picture perfect scenario and your longed for child is far from what you dreamed of. It's a 2 mommy family and the main character, Sammie, plays the role of primary caregiver. I thought Kristen Arnett really did a good job with the lesbian moms aspect of the story and her character development is so well done I felt like I knew these people. It's a very disturbing and clever story. I don't want to give anything away - read it. 4 stars!

I’m not sure

I want to say I liked this book or disliked it, but I’m not sure. There are pieces to the book that I loved and portions I didn’t like at all. The characters are interesting, but none of them are particularly likable and the ending is confusing.

Well crafted and engaging

This is an engaging book with great narration. The ending was a twist for me though others might catch on sooner than I did!

Very true to life.

It seemed so real. I enjoyed all the Florida details. The description of life was crazy good.

Relatable

With Teeth would have been really hard to read freshly-divorced. I think the feels would have been a bit too potent for me to read even a couple years after my own divorce. I really like how Kristen shares insights from different perspectives because two people can definitely have mismatched truths and still both be valid. So much of this book was so relatable and I’m so glad to have so many unpleasant things present in this story because this is what life is sometimes. Sometimes it’s messy. It made me nervous and uncomfortable in a tolerable way. I also wanted to root for people. I wanted to yell at them for being so stupid/neglectful. I wanted to hug them. I wanted to share a glass of wine and talk about how much it all hurts. Very much looking forward to discussing in book club.

Ehhhh idk about this one

I was so excited for this book. I loved Mostly Dead Things with all my heart and having been following Arnett closely since first reading it. It is truly one of my favorite books of all time. However, With Teeth left something to be desired. I found the characters half baked and repulsive. I felt like it was missing 100 pages. Or would’ve been better off as a short story. The last five pages were super interesting but left a bad taste in my mouth about the characters. Overall, it still has Arnett’s lesbian Florida gothic vibe but in my opinion does not hold a candle to Mostly Dead Things. With Teeth is grotesque and upsetting without really relenting from that. Found the characters to have little to no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Definitely not my favorite read this year which is a bummer bc it was my most anticipated book.

couldnt stop listening though i was disturbed

this was a great book that was a page turner (but listening version). i was deeply disturbed but i think thats what good art does is make you uncomfortable. as a lesbian, ive always imagined a future utopia of queer parenting without mysoginy or abuse. this book shows that such a rosey future is not guaranteed and that we have to communicate honestly and hold ourselves accountable for our own decisions. it shows what goes on behind closed doors in families, the things we don’t want to acknowledge about ourselves. it wasnt technically a horror book but it was like the most mundane version of horror that i could imagine for my future.