Teeth

Oh, wow.

So, stepping into this, you have to think - this a really clever teenage, narrative voice, it's ironic and almost lighthearted despite the initial premise (dying brother, family makes last ditch attempt to save his life by moving out to the middle of nowhere). A main character whose not afraid to call himself a slut, a snarky merboy who uses “whatever” every other word, and a totally adorable romance. What could possibly be devastatingly soul-crushing about this?



I mean, this is beautiful. But painful. This is the first time I've read any Moskowitz, and now I'm both excited and terrified to read her other stuff. I was talking with my family about the fantasy genre, and how it rarely is just about the supernatural and otherworldly, if its done well. It's often a vehicle for talking about real world issues, and considering Moskowitz typically writes contemporary, Teeth is an excellent example. When I explained the basic conflict, my dad said, “So, it's basically an allegory for a clash of cultures.” Which is precisely on point, and because the setup is so small and insular its also capable of going into why culture clashes happen. Because morality is subjective. So is the value we put on the people and things we love, even if we don't want to admit it.

Rudy and Teeth are two characters both looking for meaning in their lives and the meaning of their lives. They're afraid that they are disappearing. Rudy because he has been moved away from his old life to save the life of his brother, to an island that they will probably never be able to leave if Dylan is to survive. And Teeth because the purpose he's chosen, to protect the magical fish that cure the islanders of any ailment, he begins to realize is meaningless if it hurts the only person he's come to care about. So Rudy wants to make Teeth happy, so he helps saves the fish, which in turn hurts Dylan and the other sick people on the island. The fisherman are invaluable to the islanders because only they know how to catch the fish, but they also like to beat and rape Teeth in their spare time (I should also note that while all the rape happens off-screen, it is horrifically violent, so if you have a hard time reading that kind of thing, I would not recommend this). Also the fish are rapists, too. Jesus Christ.

When it comes down to it, people and animals will do what they need to to survive. But people need more than survival, they need love and independence and the knowledge that the world has not forgotten them, that they weren't created just to feel pain. That's the question that you find yourself asking at the end of this book. Are Rudy and Teeth just surviving? Have they simply find a way around their pain, or are they choosing something that is meaningful in a way they didn't anticipate?