Sammie looks away for a moment and a man attempts to abduct Samson.

We meet Sammie and Samson (the sharing of names already suggests a dysfunctional symbiosis) in a playground. The teeth of this title are a recurring motif throughout, and withoutrevealing spoilers, all I will say is: ouch! The novel focuses on Sammie, her wife Monika and their combative, almost non-verbal son Samson. ‘With Teeth’ is an unusual title, similar in tone to that of Kristen Arnett’s debut novel, Mostly Dead Things. 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.īlending 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. As Samson grows from feral toddler to surly teenager, Sammie’s life begins to deteriorate into a mess of unruly behaviour, and her struggle to create a picture-perfect queer family unravels. 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. 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. If she’s being honest, Sammie Lucas is scared of her son.

Kristen arnett with teeth