Baby Teeth

I have to tell you the funniest story. I was recently sent a advanced reader copy for a new thriller called Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, which hits bookstores July 17th. By the way, huge thanks to St. Martin's Press, the publisher, for making my week. Anyway, I start reading this unusual book. It is about a young girl, 7 years old, who is very smart. She loves her dad so much but her mom, she'd kind like her out of the picture so she can have her dad all to herself. The little girl is Hanna and the mom is Suzette. So let's just cut to the short of it, this book is devious, dark, intense and quite thrilling. I really liked it.

So, I'm reading along one afternoon, about halfway through the book when my husband comes in with the mail. He stops in our hall and doesn't move. Odd, I ask if anything bad came in the mail. No answer. I ask if he's okay, no answer. Finally, he says "I don't know." We had received a post card, on the front are kids drawings and printed over it is "Maybe if Mommy was uglier, maybe Daddy wouldn't love her as much." Hubby was confused. He didn't know if this was a weird campaign for some unusual group or product, or if some little girl was really a problem child and had sent something very odd to the wrong address. He flipped to postcard over and it says in red ink written like a child, "I hate mommy so much. I promise you'll feel the same way, cross my heart, hope mommy dies." The postcard was from the publisher, reminding me of the book they'd sent. Believe me I needed no reminding.

Now if that does not convince you to buy and read this book, then I wash my hands of you, so would Hanna!