With Teeth: A Novel
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With Teeth: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kristen Arnett (Author), Kristen Sieh (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 390 ratings
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NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST, VOGUE, MARIE CLAIRE, READER'S DIGEST, AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

“A gripping read…Unabashedly queer, probing and unafraid…Exceedingly engaging.”—USA Today

“Sublimely weird, fluently paced, brazenly funny and gayer still, and it richly deserves to find readers.”—New York Times

From the author of the New York Times best-selling sensation Mostly Dead Things: a surprising and moving story of two mothers, one difficult son, and the limitations of marriage, parenthood, and love

If she’s being honest, Sammie Lucas is scared of her son. 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. 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. As Samson grows from feral toddler to surly teenager, Sammie’s life begins to deteriorate into a mess of unruly behavior, and her struggle to create a picture-perfect queer family unravels. 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.

Blending 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.

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 48 minutes
  2. Author
    Kristen Arnett
  3. Narrator
    Kristen Sieh
  4. Audible release date
    June 1, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B08PQ1J3N3
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 48 minutes
Author Kristen Arnett
Narrator Kristen Sieh
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 01, 2021
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08PQ1J3N3
Best Sellers Rank #73,893 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#13 in LGBTQ+ Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#91 in LGBTQ+ Family Life Fiction (Books)
#340 in LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
390 global ratings
Best fiction book I’ve ever hands down
5 Stars
Best fiction book I’ve ever hands down
BUY THIS BOOK U WONT REGET IT
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Top reviews from the United States

Katherine
4.0 out of 5 stars This is my nightmare
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
Oh my god. This entire book was full of impending doom and had me rethinking everything in my life. The book is incredibly well written and puts a critical lens on motherhood and relationships between mothers, their children, and friends. As a queer woman who has if-y feelings on kids this entire book is my personal hell. Do not read if you’re looking for a feel good time.
3 people found this helpful
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Moth77
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
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Few things I love more than the weird and heartbreaking fiction of Kristen Arnett. This one has an absolutely unexpected ending which left my jaw dropped. Thrilled to have her writing queer fiction and I look forward to many more wild and zany rides in the future. ❤️
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Janet Collem
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing work
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021
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These characters were universally unlikeable. The novel seemed to end abruptly with not much resolution of the plot. Main character needs a 12 step program. Hope it wasn’t based on real life. Too much vomit. Want to support queer fiction, but maybe a new editor?
14 people found this helpful
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Paula C.
2.0 out of 5 stars Too boring.
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021
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I'm about halfway through and questioning whether I'll finish. It's well written but it's a dull plot and the main character is thoroughly unlikable. No one so far has been very likable and the story just seems to keep getting even more boring. The combination of characters I don't care about, doing mostly pedestrian things doesn't make for a good read. I'm not sure why this book is getting so much attention. Maybe it'll make more sense when I finish, if I do.
17 people found this helpful
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Adrienne Losh
4.0 out of 5 stars My favorite new writer
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021
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Kristen Arnett is hands-down my favorite new writer. Mostly Dead Things took my breath away. With Teeth is a page turner but lacks the same sparkle. The characters lack redemption, but I think that’s the point. I’m not sorry I bought and read this book. Queer families deserve representation too, even if they’re as messed up as straight families.
3 people found this helpful
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Keri
5.0 out of 5 stars Will read again
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022
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Surprised me. Took a minute to process how I felt about the ending, but isn’t that the case with every great novel.
One person found this helpful
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Ethan
4.0 out of 5 stars "...a bold reminder that we are all just doing our best to meet the individual challenges we face."
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021
The entirety of my reading last month was devoted to books written by and about members of the LGBTQ+ community. I was so encouraged to read stories that were as diverse as the people they represented. From sweet romantic comedies to searingly personal memoirs, each book provided a glimpse into the lives of their characters in a way that helps to normalize representation in publishing. One book, in particular, captured my attention not because it was particularly inspiring or happy, but because it was brutally honest about the realities of a relationship. I read Kristen Arnett's latest novel With Teeth a couple of weeks ago, but haven't been able to process my thoughts about it until now.

As the novel begins, Sammie Lucas is still clinging to her dream of building a picture-perfect family. She works tirelessly with her wife Monika to raise their young son Sampson. Despite Sammie's desire to give her son the world, he just doesn't seem to have any connection with her. Monika thinks that Sammie is reading too much into Sampson's behavior, but that does little to shake the fear that she is raising a stranger. These fears are seemingly confirmed early on when Sampson willingly walks off with an unknown man as Sammie looks on with horror. Thankfully, she's able to intervene before any abduction can occur. Still, she couldn't help but notice the way her son smiled at the man as he walked away with him, an expression of happiness that she's rarely seen from the boy.

That early incident serves as a foreboding glimpse at the tumultuous times to come. As Sampson grows and the years pass, Sammie's relationship with him only grows more distant. To her, there is obviously something off with her son, but numerous therapists, specialists, and even her own wife say the child is perfectly normal. To the outside world, her family is perfect. And isn't that what she always wanted anyway? Behind the facade of perfection, however, lies the truth. Sammie doesn't have the perfect child. Her son barely even talks to her. Worse, her relationship with Monika is slowly spiraling toward an inevitable end. In her quest for normalcy, Sammie is about to find out that normal involves imperfections. In this case, that might also mean the end of her life as she dreamed it.

There's a moment in Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods when Little Red Riding Hood is rescued from the clutches of the Big Bad Wolf after being seduced into trusting him by his kindness. She sings about learning her lesson and declares that "Nice is different than good." The characters in With Teeth go through a similar journey of discovery. As a lesbian couple, they are bound by the desire to be perceived as normal, just two perfect moms and their well-adjusted son. As their relationships unravel around them, they are faced with learning the lesson that normal is different than perfect. In fact, normal can be downright messy. The discovery of that sentiment is the true power of Arnett's writing. She doesn't shy away from the realities of everyday life. In fact, she revels in showing the disfunction that can come from people just trying to get through the day. With Teeth is a bold reminder that we are all just doing our best to meet the individual challenges we face. Perhaps imperfection then is the most normal thing of them all.
One person found this helpful
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Molly
3.0 out of 5 stars interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023
I had no idea what I was starting until after I opened the book. It was a recommendation so I just started reading. It was an interesting story. I’m not sure I understood the purpose and the ending was odd. Not my favorite read.
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Top reviews from other countries

Jessica Lapp
5.0 out of 5 stars Like catching up on all the queer goss you’ve been missing
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2021
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Equal parts entertaining, poignant, terrifying, and hilarious! Highly recommend.
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Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read
Reviewed in Canada on June 7, 2021
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Obsessed with this book!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best things I've read in a very long time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
I loved loved loved Kristen Arnett's debut novel 'Mostly Dead Things', so my expectations were super high for this — and I was not disappointed. 'With Teeth' is a darkly funny, incredibly compelling read that has genuinely new and important things to say about motherhood, families and sexuality. I devoured this book in two sittings, and I truly wish I could eternal sunshine of the spotless mind myself so I could read it all over again.
One person found this helpful
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