Cutting Teeth
By Julia Fierro
336 pages;
St. Martin's Press
Julia Fierro's satiric and sharply written novel
Cutting Teeth inhabits the gluten-free,
anxiety-ridden worlds of six over-indulgent Brooklyn parents, all members of
the same playgroup. Worried over rumors of an impending yet unlikely terrorist attack due to strike Manhattan, hostess Nicole invites
everyone for a Labor Day weekend at her family's shabby Long Island beach
house, ironically named Eden. As the weekend progresses, the things kept hidden
at home—illicit flirtations, parental frustrations and fizzling
marriages—come to the surface in explosive ways. Even if you aren't a
parent, Fierro's look at the inner workings of her characters' minds makes this
an emotional and compelling story. Her characters struggle with more than just
their ADD-addled children; they confront relatable complexities of life—class
and status differences, mental disorders, adult friendship and stale romance.
At times heart-wrenching and, at others, hilarious, Fierro produces a
true-to-life narrative more addictive than these fictional parents' worst
vices. Indulge.
— Abbe Wright
