Name: Cutting Teeth
ISBN: 9781250042026

Julia Fierro

A paranoid woman, a lesbian couple, a browbeaten dad, an upwardly mobile troublemaker and a foreign nanny separated from her children endure a weekend of painful truths and broken friendships during a getaway at a shabby beach house. A first novel. 30,000 first printing.

A Novel

Cutting Teeth

Emily Perkovich

Either I’m a POS mother, or everyone complaining about the cynicism is afraid to be honest with themself. Loved this. Motherhood is fucking hard. No matter how rewarding. There are always days that feel unending and confusing and make you question yourself. It’s the same as anything in life.

Catherine Boys

** spoiler alert **
           It's a 3.5 for sure, and other reviewers have very accurately captured why, but here's my two cents. The characters are ridiculous human beings, basically caricatures of over-the-top parents with seriously inflated senses of self importance and first world problems. However, the writing is solid, and the plot is extremely engaging. I was drawn in on the very first page, and looked forward to reading it each night. I enjoyed the POV chapters, and while they didn't necessarily make the characters more sympathetic, provided an interesting structure for the very simple plot: a bunch of bourgeois couples from the same play group go on vacation for the weekend with their young children and the nanny. Hijinks ensue. 

One thing that really bothered me about the book, and has sort of tainted my opinion of it (probably would have rated it four stars if not for this problem) was Tiffany's backstory. I felt that her rape was used as a convenient plot device, which is troubling. I don't like it when survivors of sexual assault are portrayed as "permanently damaged," and their victimization used as an excuse for their character flaws. In this particular case, it felt like lazy storytelling. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this book!

Cutting Teeth A Novel

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