Absolutely Not, Hanna

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holy what the heck was that!? Solid 4 stars for sheer, skin-crawling creepiness.

This book is unsettling in the best (worst?) way. What really got under my skin was the pacing of the adults' responses. It took far too long for the father to actually pay attention to what was going on, and equally too long for the mother to stop internalizing everything and blaming herself. That frustration built right alongside the tension.

And to be clear, the mom has her own issues. Big ones. But they felt separate from what was happening with Hanna, and the book doesn't always handle that distinction as cleanly as it could have.

Overall? This family is an absolute nightmare. No, thank you!

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