I liked that this book ended on a hopeful note, and it seemed that Rudy managed to find the right balance as he did the right thing for Teeth and his brother. It gives me hope that there is a chance that man might someday get the bigger picture and find the optimum relationship between ourselves and our environment. With Teeth, you have two choices: you can either read it, or someone can hit you over the head with it. The end result will be the same: you will end up bewildered and wincing in pain. I find it interesting that Moskowitz always manages to work in a mention of the book or author that influenced her. In Invincible Summer, all the characters are quoting Camus and the book itself is influenced by Camus’ existential prose. In Teeth, which is so obviously kafkaesque, Rudy and his friend Diana read and discuss The Metamorphosis. With this, she robs her readers of the chance to recognize these connections and influences for themselves. An ARC was provided to me by the publisher. No gifts, favours or money was exchanged for this review. I don't even know what to rate this. I hate it and love it at the same time. It's unconventional. Unique. Special. Funny. Annoying. Sweet. Poignant. Silly. Horrifying. Touching.

Rudy lives on an island with his family due to their belief of the magic fish that helps his younger brother, Dylan, survive. Dylan has cystic fibrosis & unfortunately these fish are basically his last resort. Feeling isolated from his friends/past life & torn at wanting to help Dylan, Rudy begins to form a bond with Diana & Teeth (the fishboy). Throughout the novel, Rudy grapples with his feelings towards Teeth as well as trying to figure out his own life plans. Rudy’s family just moved to a remote island, hoping the magic fish Enki would cure his little brother of cystic fibrosis. As much as he loves his brother Dylan, Rudy is desperately lonely and bored out of his mind – until he meets Teeth, half-human-half-fish boy with whom he starts a tentative friendship.

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Who eats too much sugar, leading to dental trauma? Primarily the poor. Who cannot sleep because of continuing dental pain and no available dental care? Primarily the poor. Even with Medicare and Medicaid, dental care has remained a stepchild—and these programs are in jeopardy now. ‘The teeth are no match for . . . a life of poverty,’ Otto says. More teeth failure and its consequences are on their way.” —Peter Edelman Now here I must quote Civil Twilight; What comes first, the courage or the fall? Is that a savior outside my window? Or is that a reflection of me?

His tail is skinny and silver, the same color as Dylan’s fish. All of his scales, especially the ones on his chest, look dry, like they’re about to flake off. His hair is short and uneven. Mermaids in fairy tales were never this ugly. Mermen. However, sometimes Moskowitz wasn't very descriptive. I thought the island where the story was set was a part of the US. Then very explicitly we were told it was not. In that too she reminded me of The Man who Rained by Ali Shaw, where he described a place somewhere between the US and Canada, benign nowhere. Except that, Shaw's writing is more decorative. Though Moskwitz's subtle style suits her, it was even magical, bleak, drear, just right, so write away Ms. Moskowitz. Um. Just do your part; the only monsters that have Teeth are the ones you bring with you. That's all I know. Don't let anyone bite you.

I'm just going to come right out and say it. Very few books make me twitchy and squirmy. This one did.

Rudy's younger brother, Dylan, has cystic fibrosis. In a last-ditch effort to save Dylan's life, Rudy and his family move to a remote island where the fish are known to have healing qualities. Rudy suffers his angst alone until he meets Diana, the only other human adolescent on the island, and Teeth, the only non-human adolescent he's encountered... ever. Rudy and Teeth develop a strange and electric bond, but Rudy soon learns that all miracles come at a price - especially the one involving his little brother eating magical fish. The relationships between the characters were so beautiful and endearing that they just ... got to me like few manage. Do we need words to express what we feel? Do we need to put a name on a box? I don't think so. Friendship, guilt, expectations, but love love love. So much love that my heart can't contain it. As the book mentions, it's all about sacrificing for someone else what you would *never* sacrifice for yourself. This book was really, really weird. Just look at that synopsis. An island with fish that save people from cancer? A half-human, half-fish boy named Teeth? In another author's hands Teeth could have spiraled out of control, but as with her novel Gone, Gone, Gone Hannah Moskowitz creates an insightful story, using magical realism to heighten its intensity.We are a groan away from a watery death, and we'll all drown without even waking up. because we're so used to sleeping through unrelenting noise." TRIGGER WARNING : GRAPHIC abuse. I would not recommend it to any reader who can't cope with it (and I completely understand why) This is one of those books that left me completely perplexed. It is a book that I could see literature teachers loving as there are so many metaphorical inferences in this one. You could spend hours analyzing it. If you are someone that likes book with complicated themes and inferences, you should read this one. I believe that Teeth is a special novel. The kind of special that only rarely comes into the world. Does that sound over dramatic? Maybe. But this is how I truly feel about this book. Now please just go read this book so you can experience the ugly beauty of it yourself. Don’tet your fear of the strangeness this novel has keep you away from it. I doubt you will regret it. But Teeth is not a fairy-tale. And while I see the brilliance of this book, I simply couldn't connect with it enough to actually let the awesomeness sink in.

Teeth takes readers on a disturbing journey into the role teeth play in our health and our social mobility. Otto “doesn’t just dwell on the numbers,” according to NPR, “she makes what could have been a turgid health policy tome spark with outrage over the stories of people who have suffered.” Her subjects include the pioneering dentist who made Shirley Temple and Judy Garland’s teeth sparkle on the silver screen; an up-and-coming beauty queen awarded thousands of dollars of free cosmetic dental care; and Deamonte Driver, a young Baltimore boy whose death from an abscessed tooth sparked congressional hearings. I love great writing and I love when a book surprises me. Teeth did both of these things. Let me put it this way. I kept highlighting passages that stunned me with how emotional and gorgeous they were and at the end, I'd highlighted about 50 different passages. That's just a bit crazy. I can honestly say this was one of the best written books I've read in a while. Moskowitz has a talent for characters, I believe. They are depressing, sad, flawed, and filled with inner darkness. She made me feel a lot of empathy for both Rudy and Teeth. These two characters are layered with many layers.It's kind of in it's own special category. There are no books I can really compare to this. It doesn't follow the rules and really, there shouldn't be rules when it comes to fiction! I love this woman for writing this crazy, magical, yummy treat of a book. Thank goodness for your enviable imagination.