On the surface, Such Sharp Teeth is an entertaining read about werewolves. Having a soft spot for werewolves, vampires and the ilk, it didn’t take much to persuade me that I’d like to read this novel. It can be read entirely on the level of the lycanthropy story, and it is excellent if you’re happy to focus on this. Well paced, intriguing story, interesting character development, witty dialogue… Rory is a fun, wonderful protagonist and I was rooting for her at every step!
But there are layers to this book. While reading, I soon started to think of it in more serious terms. I felt that the underlying theme was more about the effects on the body of trauma, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it in between reading sessions. And then, on reading the acknowledgements at the end, it turned out that I wasn’t seeing what wasn’t there; indeed, the author mentions Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score, one of the many (and one of the best) books on mindbody theory.
I really liked this mixing of genres – lycanthropy fantasy + mindbody theory. I hugely admire and am grateful to Rachel Harrison for taking this serious topic and turning it into a story I could really *feel*. I think it’s really psychologically useful to verbalise trauma in imagery — such as a werewolf attack and its aftermath.
I just loved it!
Such Sharp Teeth (fantastic title!) is about rage, trauma and resilience, and transformation, about women finding strength within themselves and learning to face the world without (or with less) fear. It tapped into my own rage, but also into my fighting spirit!
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.
Such Sharp Teeth is available from all major booksellers.
You might also like: The Other Half | Charlotte Vassell
