What happens when an act of violence done to you turns you into a monster? Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth tries to answer that question with a authentic story of unresolved childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress told through a horrific and fantastical werewolf horror story, with a touch of humor and dash of romance. As a fan of Shirley Jackson and Paul Tremblay books, I tend to enjoy emotionally impactful horror fiction and Such Sharp Teeth certainly delivered!
The book follows Rory Morris after she temporarily moves back to her hometown from New York City to support her twin sister, Scarlett, through a pregnancy during which she’s estranged from the baby’s father. The Morris twins are deadpan, gorgeous, and tough, but they’ve also been through a lot. Rory, in particular, has bad memories of her small town and being back home is clearly hard on her.
Early into the temporary stay in her hometown and incredibly early into the novel, Rory hits an unidentified animal with her car. When she gets out of her car to investigate, she is attacked by the animal. She survives the violent attack, and heals remarkably quickly. She soon starts to notice herself becoming unnaturally physically strong, healing quickly, and having horrible physical reactions to silver. She knows how crazy it is, but she can’t deny her experiences as she starts to slowly transform into something monstrous.
Rory finds herself needing to cope with the unimaginable. While creatures like werewolves can feel trite, Harrison inserts them into the real world in a way that feels natural. On top of that, the book engages in both psychological and body horror incredibly effectively. The audiobook is narrated by Kristen Sieh, who flawlessly captures Rory’s sardonic attitude, giving an appropriate amount of levity to the otherwise tense story.
There was so much I loved about this book. The characters have complex relationships with each other and themselves and their histories. Anger and fear have such a complex relationship in this novel, which makes sense considering its focus on trauma and healing. Such Sharp Teeth uses the werewolf story as a metaphor to discuss these things, but it doesn’t boil down the werewolf aspects to just metaphor- it really delves into the horror and pain of transforming into something you feel you have no control over.
