“I sat with that for a long time. I thought of every person I had met, wondering how many of them had wolves inside them and just had never pulled them out. Or perhaps more horrible: how many of them, in a moment of fear, reached inside themselves for something to save them, and came up empty.”
The debut novel of Rose Szabo is an atmospheric read where everything isn’t as it seems. Eleanor Zarrin returned home after being sent to a boarding school by her grandmother Persephone. But after her sudden return, an important family member passes away and she is left in charge to take care of everyone; which seems a little impossible since everyone makes her feel unwelcome.
Being different to the rest of her family of shapeshifting wolves, except for her mother who resembles a kind of sea creature, Eleanor calls upon her estranged Grandmère who lives in France for help. After Grandmère’s arrival everyone becomes uneasy, even Grandpa Miklos who is terrifying and isn’t easily scared by anyone avoids Grandmère. Strange behaviour is taking place in the household and Eleanor wishes for guidance. Unable to trust anyone, she finds herself fighting an age-old battle without even knowing it. The story takes a dramatic turn near the ending as secrets and identities are revealed and we see Eleanor caught in the middle of it all.
I was expecting a scary read but most of the story wasn’t scary, although the ending turned out to be full-on creepy. If you don’t like scary reads that leave you awake at night, this is the perfect read because the eeriness of the story leaves you on edge but it isn’t scary. You will still be able to sleep. Near the ending, the plot went in a different direction to what I expected and this is where the creepiness sets in. I found it interesting to read about the Zarrins and their ability to shapeshift into wolves and found Arthur’s character intriguing and mysterious. I never could quite put my finger on what made him different but after the twist regarding his character I was shocked, completely unexpected! The highlights of the story were Arthur and Grandmère. With the slow plot, they definitely made the ending more exciting. A slow plot isn’t necessarily a bad thing; the author builds the reader’s curiosity about the characters and their intentions.
Secrets are gradually revealed which builds up to a dark twist. Even though the shapeshifting isn’t the focus of the story, the reader experiences the characters’ jealousy, fear, self-acceptance and the qualities that make them who they are. With a dysfunctional family, shapeshifting wolves, a mother who spends most of her time in a bathtub, a creepy aunt and a house with an eerie atmosphere, Eleanor takes charge to protect the ones she loves.
- PUBLISHED: July 2021
- FORMAT: Ebook
- GENRE: Horror, Sci Fi, Fantasy, YA
#WhatBigTeeth #NetGalley
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an electronic copy of this book by Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rose Szabo is a nonbinary writer from Richmond, VA, where they live with an assortment of people and animals and teach writing at VCU. They have an MA in English from the University of Maine and an MFA in creative writing from VCU. Their work has been published in See the Elephant and Quaint magazines. What Big Teeth is their first novel.
Willow's Corner 