Cutting Teeth - by Chandler Baker

About the Book

Book Synopsis

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"Jaw-dropping ... A darkly comic send-up of motherhood." --People
"With devourable writing and pitch-perfect humor, Cutting Teeth is a sharp, original, wickedly astute look at the sting of modern motherhood." --Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

New York Times bestselling author Chandler Baker's Cutting Teeth is a witty, thrilling story of parental love that asks: is there anything a mother won't do for her children?

Darby, Mary Beth, and Rhea are on personal quests to reclaim aspects of their identities subsumed by motherhood--their careers, their sex lives, their bodies. But their children disrupt their plans when an unsettling medical condition begins to go around the Little Academy preschool: the kids are craving blood.

Then a young teacher is found dead, and the only potential witnesses are ten adorable four-year-olds.
Soon it becomes clear that the children are not just witnesses, but also suspects . . . and so are their mothers.

As the police begin to look more closely, the children's ability to bleed their parents dry becomes deadly serious. Part murder mystery, part motherhood manifesto, Cutting Teeth explores the standards society holds mothers to--along with the ones to which we hold ourselves--and the things no one tells you about becoming a parent.

Review Quotes

"Part murder mystery, part darkly humorous riff on modern parenthood."
--New York Times

"Jaw-dropping ... A darkly comic send-up of motherhood."
--People

"Complex and gripping...Dark secrets, retribution, and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child all feature in this twisted, disturbing story that will keep readers off balance from beginning to end."
--Booklist

"With devourable writing and pitch-perfect humor, Cutting Teeth is a sharp, original, wickedly astute look at the sting of modern motherhood. In this group of toddlers and parents out for blood (literally!), Chandler Baker nails the performance pressures of parenthood, and the unachievable standards to which we hold ourselves."
--Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

"Cutting Teeth may be Chandler Baker's boldest book yet. A razor-sharp, biting social commentary on motherhood that is equal parts scary and satirical, thrilling and thought-provoking, that begs the question: how far is too far when it comes to taking care of your kids? You'll sink your teeth into it."
--Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark

"It's a hilariously apt metaphor, but Baker does a deft job weaving this commentary on the all-consuming nature of motherhood with a fun mystery novel."
--Glamour

"What could be a more perfect and hilariously dark metaphor. . . Any parent who has imagined that their young children are draining the life out of them will both get the joke and feel the (piercing) pain . . . Gruesome, funny, jam-packed, sharp as baby teeth.
--Kirkus (starred review)

"Suspenseful and darkly comic tale of motherhood and murder...Baker's descriptions of the joys and trials of raising children bolster the mystery at the book's core. With winning cynicism, she delivers a wicked thriller that doubles as a glimpse at motherhood's dark underbelly."
--Publishers Weekly

"As brutal in its honesty as it is in its deceptions, Cutting Teeth is a viciously sinuous whodunnit . . . an incisive and fearless exploration of motherhood and the self-inflicted wounds we hide up our sleeves as we each struggle to survive it."
--Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

"Deliciously dark, Baker's novel exposes all the little horrors of motherhood. Cutting Teeth will make you question what's expected of the "perfect" mom--and have you wondering just how much you're willing to give."
--Kirsten Miller, author of Good Morning America Book Club pick The Change

"First comes love, then comes marriage... but in this baby carriage comes gnashing social commentary swaddled in Chandler Baker's delicious wit. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."
--Steven Rowley, bestselling author of The Guncle and The Celebrants

"Entertaining and engaging...Baker examines the complexity of female friendships and the expectations of mothers in particular, making Cutting Teeth relevant and thought-provoking....A hugely suspenseful and delicious enjoyable story. Cutting Teeth is going to bring Baker into the spotlight once again, and the praise is warranted."
--Mystery & Suspense

About the Author