Fiction

With Teeth

With Teeth

  • Downloads：1884
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-03 14:16:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kristen Arnett
  • ISBN：147215651X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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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Reviews

Nan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Really， a 2。5。 I， like others here， had a tough time with this novel。 I listened to the audiobook， and I started skimming after I got through about 15%。 It never improved--this is a novel in which you listen to a whiney white mom in a failing lesbian relationship （that followed a lot of heteronormative tropes） complain about herself with zero real self-reflection or depth。 This character was difficult for me to like or relate to even though I have children and dealt with some post partum depress Really， a 2。5。 I， like others here， had a tough time with this novel。 I listened to the audiobook， and I started skimming after I got through about 15%。 It never improved--this is a novel in which you listen to a whiney white mom in a failing lesbian relationship （that followed a lot of heteronormative tropes） complain about herself with zero real self-reflection or depth。 This character was difficult for me to like or relate to even though I have children and dealt with some post partum depression and am in a marriage that isn't perfect （who is？）。 She just couldn't see past herself and behaved as if her kid were born as some sort of bad seed; how could that not be self-fulfilled when she's checked-out？ I skipped to the end to see if she redeemed herself--big nope！I downloaded this on my phone at the same time I borrowed a memoir （Broken， by Jenny Lawson） and an " auto fiction"（I love you but I've chosen darkness， by CVW）。 I ended up toggling among the three after none of them really grabbed me， and found they were all strangely similar with similar voices-- whiney middle-class moms who couldn't get their heads out of her butts most of the time。 But Broken won my attention because it's at least funny and more introspective/honest AND because the mother actually tries （maybe bc it's real life）。 I know it's weird to compare a memoir to this novel， but this reads very memoirish （me， me， me。。。）。 And it got me wondering how long this Get-Z broken wine-guzzling navel-gazing mom （usually white with a lot of resources to help her out） trope can continue to play out in acclaimed literature without any plot。 I hope not very long。 。。。more

Rebecca B ，

i couldn’t put it down so i feel like it gripped me which is good？ that being said。 the ENDING。 first of all i didn’t even realise the news stories were part of the story， i assumed they were advertising other books at the end。 second of all， while sammie was completely destructive and largely unlikeable throughout the book i never truly hated her until i read that second e-mail she sends samson。 a weird book all in。（though i do appreciate queer representation that isn’t happy go lucky。 queer pe i couldn’t put it down so i feel like it gripped me which is good？ that being said。 the ENDING。 first of all i didn’t even realise the news stories were part of the story， i assumed they were advertising other books at the end。 second of all， while sammie was completely destructive and largely unlikeable throughout the book i never truly hated her until i read that second e-mail she sends samson。 a weird book all in。（though i do appreciate queer representation that isn’t happy go lucky。 queer people can also be dicks and i liked that the two women in a relationship don’t make it seem so easy as is often stereotyped。） 。。。more

Carly Gibbons ，

I was excited to read this book for a long time， but it was sort of awful。 This is a story about a mother， her failing relationship with her wife， and their unruly teenager。 I think the ultimate point of this book was that even once you’re a parent， that doesn’t mean that you suddenly have it so perfectly together， and that all of the things you struggled with pre-parenthood can still remain the same。 My main issue with this book is that it didn’t actually address any of the real issues that the I was excited to read this book for a long time， but it was sort of awful。 This is a story about a mother， her failing relationship with her wife， and their unruly teenager。 I think the ultimate point of this book was that even once you’re a parent， that doesn’t mean that you suddenly have it so perfectly together， and that all of the things you struggled with pre-parenthood can still remain the same。 My main issue with this book is that it didn’t actually address any of the real issues that the characters were suffering from。 I think that the same story could have been told with a better acknowledgment for the real issues in a way that made the reader know that these aren’t things we should ignore or glorify。 A few thoughts: - The main character， Sammie （whose real name is SAMANDRA， btw， instead of Samantha）， is absolutely an alcoholic。 Never once really does Sammie question her alcohol dependence， nor really do any of her partners。 - Samson， the son， seems as though he could likely be on the spectrum or that he maybe suffers from severe ADHD。 I was kind of expecting there to be some lightbulb moment at the end of this book where the main character realizes there’s a diagnosis behind all of her son’s struggles。 This Never happens and the book ends with her son still struggling with varying behavioral issues even once he’s in college。 - Every single relationship in this book is toxic。 The romantic ones and the familial ones。 Sammie is acting the way that I know my friends in their mid-20’s to act。 Reading this book honestly made me scared for the possibility that we could all still be living in the same patterns in 20-25 years with absolutely no growth。 This wasn’t a total 1 star。 It was a quick read and I wanted to know where it would go。 But there was so little actual story happening， and the ending was also rushed and kind of atrocious。 Overall， I don’t really recommend this one。 。。。more

Row ，

Just not sure I got the point tbh

Jaune Monroe ，

I tore through this novel。 It is unlike anything I have ever read before。 Reading a story about queer parents struggling to parent a son with issues they can't explain while their own relationship suffers during it all。 It keeps you held captive the whole moment， hoping for a resolution of some sort。 Closure but the author makes sure you don't get it and that's somehow also delicious。 I haven't been able to sit down with a novel since January and this was the perfect read to take me out of that I tore through this novel。 It is unlike anything I have ever read before。 Reading a story about queer parents struggling to parent a son with issues they can't explain while their own relationship suffers during it all。 It keeps you held captive the whole moment， hoping for a resolution of some sort。 Closure but the author makes sure you don't get it and that's somehow also delicious。 I haven't been able to sit down with a novel since January and this was the perfect read to take me out of that block。 I'd give 7 stars if I could。 。。。more

Aparna Kamath ，

Interesting book。 Glad I read it。

Skyler Leslie ，

It took me a few days to figure out how I feel about this book。 Especially the ending。 I don't think I want kids， but this book certainly made me even more hesitant - if only for the sake of the child。 Is Samson really as unhinged as Sammie claims， or is it her？ All I know is I sure wouldn't want Sammie OR Monika as my moms （side note: did anyone else catch how Samson's name is literally Sam's son - is this Sammie laying more claim over him because she was the one who carried him in her body， no It took me a few days to figure out how I feel about this book。 Especially the ending。 I don't think I want kids， but this book certainly made me even more hesitant - if only for the sake of the child。 Is Samson really as unhinged as Sammie claims， or is it her？ All I know is I sure wouldn't want Sammie OR Monika as my moms （side note: did anyone else catch how Samson's name is literally Sam's son - is this Sammie laying more claim over him because she was the one who carried him in her body， not Monika？ Is this a sign？）。Arnett writes an unreliable narrator so well， it took me until most of the way through before I started questioning Sammie's reliability。 This book is unnerving。 I wanted to shake Sammie and yell at her to stop circling around， making the same mistakes over and over。 It's frustrating - most especially for the parts of Sammie you see in yourself。Edit to add: this is a character-driven novel， but without any self-improvement， just self-pity and an unwillingness to change。 Sammie is unlikeable， but I think everyone will be able to see some of themselves in her。 。。。more

Oumaima Hassoun ，

It bites with tenderness。。。

Amy Margaret ，

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett is a brutal novel about a woman's relationships with her wife and her son。 Sammie is struggling to connect with her child， her wife works and is rarely home， but despite how much she hates it， it's Sammie's role to keep the family running。 So this was a story of a housewife who is desperately unhappy and stressed， who has no light at the end of the tunnel making her chronically depressed。 This made it a challenge and not much fun to read。 I also  didn't like any of t With Teeth by Kristen Arnett is a brutal novel about a woman's relationships with her wife and her son。 Sammie is struggling to connect with her child， her wife works and is rarely home， but despite how much she hates it， it's Sammie's role to keep the family running。 So this was a story of a housewife who is desperately unhappy and stressed， who has no light at the end of the tunnel making her chronically depressed。 This made it a challenge and not much fun to read。 I also  didn't like any of the characters， the protagonist is not just miserable， she is not very nice， her son and her wife are no better。 I didn't feel like there was an arc that showed any growth in the characters so this one was a miss for me unfortunately。 Giving this ⭐️⭐️🌠 （2。5/5）。 。。。more

Alisha ，

I viscerally hated the narrator of this book， but I could not stop reading， and the ending really freaked me out。 I know it will stick with me （whether I want it to or not） but I have no desire to delve into the world again。 I guess that means I liked it？ Honestly have no idea， but I think it did what it was meant to， and that Kristen Arnett is a master at her craft。

Brooke Olsen ，

3。5

Kathryn ，

Really more of a 3。5。 But the writing was a 5。

Sam ，

Not what I was expecting， but that's luckily not a bad thing in this case。 A very thought-provoking read for me personally， and one I would love to purchase and annotate。 Not what I was expecting， but that's luckily not a bad thing in this case。 A very thought-provoking read for me personally， and one I would love to purchase and annotate。 。。。more

Gabriela ，

extraordinarily underwhelming。

Ava ，

I dont know how I feel。 I think I liked this。 I think I really liked this。 But also it was very uncomfortable and made me want to bite my nails。

Mackenzie ，

Maybe it’s because I read so many thrillers， but for so much of this book With Teeth felt like it was teetering on the edge of being a thriller and I absolutely loved that （the ending？！）。 With Teeth is a beautifully complex narrative of partnership and motherhood。 As a counseling psychology grad student I was so interested in Samson as the story followed his development。 The family dynamics and individual behaviors felt so toxic at times， but in a good way （if that’s possible）。 With its mix of a Maybe it’s because I read so many thrillers， but for so much of this book With Teeth felt like it was teetering on the edge of being a thriller and I absolutely loved that （the ending？！）。 With Teeth is a beautifully complex narrative of partnership and motherhood。 As a counseling psychology grad student I was so interested in Samson as the story followed his development。 The family dynamics and individual behaviors felt so toxic at times， but in a good way （if that’s possible）。 With its mix of an unreliable narrator and complicated relationships it felt a bit like a domestic thriller， which I’m not complaining about。 。。。more

Kristen ，

2。5 stars --- 9 hour audiobookI'm frustrated by the conclusion of the book because （1） you realize that the main character Sammi was even more of an unreliable narrator than you had known before and also more damaging to her son （2） she has had no character arc and hasn't changed at all despite making terrible decisions over the course of 15 years in the novel。 （3） The readers doesn't actually find out enough of what REALLY happened and what was really going on because of the unreliable narrator 2。5 stars --- 9 hour audiobookI'm frustrated by the conclusion of the book because （1） you realize that the main character Sammi was even more of an unreliable narrator than you had known before and also more damaging to her son （2） she has had no character arc and hasn't changed at all despite making terrible decisions over the course of 15 years in the novel。 （3） The readers doesn't actually find out enough of what REALLY happened and what was really going on because of the unreliable narrator and the abrupt ending。It was page turner because I wanted to know what happened。 Did Samson turn out to be sociopathic serial killer in the making？ Did Sammi get her shit together？ （no; see no character arc， growth， self-improvement）Two lesbians are terrible parents to their not-so-easy to raise son。 That said poor Samson got really unlucky with both parents being terrible and self-absorbed。 Monika really did let Sammi take on the vast majority of the child-rearing when she knew Sammi had problem， and she was in denial about the problems Samson was having （not thinking he needed therapy， believing he didn't spit in that girl's cup， etc。）。 。。。more

Sara Goldenberg ，

Did not love。

Alexis ，

God， I loved this book。 It's the story of a queer woman and her son and her wife， and their relationship， which goes down the toilet。 There are many conflicting feelings， and cringey （and funny） moments about queer parenting， and parenting in general。 I got really into this book and I'll be thinking about some of the scenes for a long time。 This is the second book I've read by Arnett， and I will probably read anything she writes。I also love the main character who is （gasp） probably unlikeable， a God， I loved this book。 It's the story of a queer woman and her son and her wife， and their relationship， which goes down the toilet。 There are many conflicting feelings， and cringey （and funny） moments about queer parenting， and parenting in general。 I got really into this book and I'll be thinking about some of the scenes for a long time。 This is the second book I've read by Arnett， and I will probably read anything she writes。I also love the main character who is （gasp） probably unlikeable， and complicated and messy。 I don't care。 I love reading books with deeply flawed characters。 （did not love the ending as much as I wanted to， but still loved the book） 。。。more

Dar ，

A dark-comedy family drama about two women in a falling-apart marriage， who share an impossibly difficult child。 I like that the couple， Sammie and Monika， are in no way exemplary lesbians; they are just real folks。 You know how some people find themselves doing strange and bad things and can't explain why？ Two of the three main characters share this trait。 The reader must bear with their persistent lack of insight。 I like a question in one of the review blurbs: "What would a happy ending look l A dark-comedy family drama about two women in a falling-apart marriage， who share an impossibly difficult child。 I like that the couple， Sammie and Monika， are in no way exemplary lesbians; they are just real folks。 You know how some people find themselves doing strange and bad things and can't explain why？ Two of the three main characters share this trait。 The reader must bear with their persistent lack of insight。 I like a question in one of the review blurbs: "What would a happy ending look like" - for them？On the subject of parenting difficult children， this would be a great book to read back-to-back with The Push by Ashley Audrain。The vivid Florida setting was a great asset。 。。。more

Sarah ，

These characters are all awful！ Except Myra， she seems fine。 That did not， however， hamper my enjoyment of the novel as a whole。 It dragged just a touch in the middle， but overall I was excited to keep pressing "play" on my audiobook， even as I cringed and waited for things to go even more wrong for Sammie。 These characters are all awful！ Except Myra， she seems fine。 That did not， however， hamper my enjoyment of the novel as a whole。 It dragged just a touch in the middle， but overall I was excited to keep pressing "play" on my audiobook， even as I cringed and waited for things to go even more wrong for Sammie。 。。。more

CJ ，

I always like books about moms who don't really like being moms。 It's a bit disjointed， but I enjoyed it overall。 I always like books about moms who don't really like being moms。 It's a bit disjointed， but I enjoyed it overall。 。。。more

Christine ，

This book got some really harsh reviews。 and while I didn't love it， I didn't hate it either。 No the main protagonist isn't particularly likeable。 But her flaws are so real and so genuinely voiced by the author。 Sammie's insecurities color her perception of everything about herself， and every interaction within her day to day life。 I found myself wincing in recognition of how doubt about oneself can change impressions， and can have far reaching influence。 I feel the author captured this perfectl This book got some really harsh reviews。 and while I didn't love it， I didn't hate it either。 No the main protagonist isn't particularly likeable。 But her flaws are so real and so genuinely voiced by the author。 Sammie's insecurities color her perception of everything about herself， and every interaction within her day to day life。 I found myself wincing in recognition of how doubt about oneself can change impressions， and can have far reaching influence。 I feel the author captured this perfectly。 She's not asking us to empathize with Sammie， but she is allowing us to understand her。 。。。more

JO ，

I read “With Teeth” by Kristen Arnett for #JessAndMorgansBookClub this month and was surprised by what the author did with this trope！ I’d heard this compared to “Baby Teeth” and “The Push” but I’d say， of the two it leans closer to “The Push”… however， it really is quite its own， unique experience。We do follow a mother who is tired， struggling， and is afraid of her child。 But what sets this apart is， among other things， it’s queer！ I’ve never read a domestic “thriller” that was about two mother I read “With Teeth” by Kristen Arnett for #JessAndMorgansBookClub this month and was surprised by what the author did with this trope！ I’d heard this compared to “Baby Teeth” and “The Push” but I’d say， of the two it leans closer to “The Push”… however， it really is quite its own， unique experience。We do follow a mother who is tired， struggling， and is afraid of her child。 But what sets this apart is， among other things， it’s queer！ I’ve never read a domestic “thriller” that was about two mothers。 That added a layer to the story that felt special。 I would have even liked to have seen it explored further。 The story is also punctuated with vignettes from the perspective of outside characters。 These pages will show the perception of a scene or interaction by an outsider， giving insight to what is “really” going on。 These were my favorite addition and added a lot to the novel。How much of our individual reality is shaped by what we see… and how much by what we *want* to see？ ——————I guess I just thought it would be different。 Lots of great ideas but none fully explored。 Lots of interesting and terrible characters but none fully realized。 I get it… but I didn’t love it。 People said it was funny but I also just didn’t think it was funny。 I don’t know。 I missed the thing everyone is loving here。 But that’s okay。 I’m glad we got to see a queer family in a book like this and also really enjoyed the asides we got with other characters after interactions with Sammie and Samson。 Wish I’d have loved it， I really thought I would。 But I think it’s great so many other readers are loving it。 。。。more

Evann ，

I didn't get it at all， which is probably more my problem than the book's， but if any of my friends have read this - can you please explain the ending to me？ I didn't get it at all， which is probably more my problem than the book's， but if any of my friends have read this - can you please explain the ending to me？ 。。。more

Kelso ，

This book made me sad in a weird way。 It felt kind of slow but I couldn’t put it down。

Kay ，

I honestly would be so grateful if someone explained to me what the ending meant？ I’ve read so many reviews saying that there was a twist that took their breathe away but I’m just confused。 Please include details because I really need them at this point

Katherine Lemons ，

I really feel conflicted about whether I liked this book！ Sammie was such a complex character who seemed to try to get her life together but just couldn’t。 She was so likable yet I’m likable at the same time。 Everyone is just such a hot mess it stressed me out but also made it so I couldn’t stop reading？！

Abby ，

Unsettling read that I still think about months later。。。 I could see this being a very intriguing book for someone that isn't currently parenting small children。 The dynamic was just hard to swallow， very well built and disturbing characters。 2。5 stars。 Unsettling read that I still think about months later。。。 I could see this being a very intriguing book for someone that isn't currently parenting small children。 The dynamic was just hard to swallow， very well built and disturbing characters。 2。5 stars。 。。。more

Rhia ，

I only finished this because I was reading it for a challenge。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=With Teeth

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=With Teeth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,With Teeth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0