Tale of a Tooth

Tale of a Tooth is a story about domestic violence and money struggles told from the point of view of a four-year-old with a love of dinosaurs. Danny lives with his mother Natalie in a Sussex town, and when they are threatened with a benefits sanction, Natalie doesn't know what to do. A Job Centre employee, Karen, offers to help them out. Natalie and Karen start a relationship, but Karen's anger and guilt trips are only the start of her destructive impact upon the family.

This is a novel about very important topics and it has a gripping narrative, particularly evoking the difficulty and often hopelessness of Natalie's situation. Rogers uses Danny, an unusual four-year-old who really only knows his mum and the lady who works in the library, and his perspective to show how Karen cycles between anger and apology in her abuse, with Danny doesn't trust Karen and is frightened by her forcefulness from the start. The narrative voice is very distinctive, even more so than other books told from the point of view of young children, and it can be quite difficult to get into, but it is also integral to how the story is told.

The creation of a distinct four-year-old's voice is something that might put readers off: personally, I found it difficult to get past at first, despite having read other books with similar uses of children's perspective. However, Tale of a Tooth has a powerful story and touches upon a lot of important issues, particularly the intersection between money problems and domestic abuse in relation to vulnerable people.

Tale of a Tooth by Allie Rogers is a story about lesbian domestic violence told through the eyes of a four year old boy, Danny. It’s one of the first books I’ve ever read that deals with domestic violence within a lesbian relationship, a relationship that from the beginning, has a power struggle.

Rogers is clearly inspired by Room, and the child point of view to describe a traumatic event. Personally I’m not a fan of this, because I get incredibly annoyed by child protagonists, but I can understand why other readers may like this.

I wish there had been more backstory on Meemaw, or Natalie to give her true name. There is Spanish heritage, a mother who committed suicide, a father who is living in squalor. She’s also clearly had a straight relationship in the past, which is how Danny was born. Of course, it’s hard to write a backstory when the pov is so limited, but I feel like I missed out on crucial character development.

Overall, Tale of a Tooth is an interesting view into domestic violence in lesbian relationships and the British welfare system. It’s heart breaking in places, and amusing in others, and I’m grateful for Netgalley giving me the chance to read it.

This book is not the typical domestic abuse story, as this one is told via four year old Danny. His mom has lost her benefits due to a benefits sanction. She is offered assistance by a job center employee and embarks in a relationship that leads to domestic abuse. This book is written entirely through Danny, so it gives a realistic view of what domestic abuse is like for a child to witness.