Baby Teeth/ Zoje Stage/ 304 pgs

I've finished this book and I'm still not sure what to make of it. This is the story of the Jensen family: father Alex, mother Suzette, and 7-year-old daughter Hanna. Hanna is super intelligent, but she does not speak. The story is told from her point of view and that of her mother. Suzette was raised by an indifferent mother and she's never sure if she's doing the right things for Hanna, especially since the girl doesn't talk, though she communicates well. Hanna adores her father (as Suzette adores her husband) but Suzette and Hanna have their issues. For the first half of the novel, I thought this was a creepy horror story of a diabolical little girl out to kill her mother and the suspense was really well done. Until the midway point, when the story seems to become more of a family drama and much of the tension fizzles out. It ended with a whimper. But the more I think about it, it's interesting to think about the actions of the adults in this book, especially the parents, and wonder if they had been less selfish, and more committed to their family relationships, as opposed to their individual relationships, if things would have turned out differently.