Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Anne Shaw Heinrich's House of Teeth is set in the small town of Poulson, where the ending of one marriage begins pulling several families into the same orbit. Judy Saunders spends years trapped in a bitter relationship with truck driver John, while he quietly builds another life with waitress Clarice on the opposite side of town. Their daughters grow up caught between both households as gossip spreads. Nearby, Larry Downs and his wife, Sally, raise the Marks children after removing them from an abusive home in Shakey’s Half, where hunger and neglect affect childhood. As the children settle into safer lives, Jules Marks continues hiding a secret about Violet Sellers and James Pullman, a secret that never fully disappeared after Violet left town. Over time, the private damage inside these families begins surfacing across Poulson in ways nobody can fully control.

Anne Shaw Heinrich’s House of Teeth takes its title from the ruined teeth of the Marks children, whose neglected condition is a visible sign of poverty in Poulson. This is an extremely thoughtful novel, and Heinrich takes the courageous route of writing everything from alternating first-person points of view. Women, men, and children are all allowed a voice, and the result is a comprehensive series of accounts. My two favorites are Wendy and Clarice, who come together when Wendy experiences horrible trauma. The author flips the narrative of “the other woman” on its head with Clarice, who is calm and tender, and someone I could totally be friends with. Her story is the one that tugged at my heart the most. Heinrich breathes life into Poulson and its locations, shaped by working-class routines and private histories. The Burns household has the comfort of crowded birthday gatherings beneath old wallpaper and worn furniture, while Shakey’s Half appears through neglected houses and damaged roads. Readers interested in literary fiction about class, family, and small-town social divisions will adore this.