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A review by fromthefoxhole
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To begin, thank you SO much to Netgalley, Peachtree Teen, and Andrew Joseph White for this e-arc. I would go to battle for you.
To articulate the way I feel about this book is akin to parsing out a translation from a language I don't know. I find myself grasping at words, feelings, pictures, anything, and all of it falls short.
This book follows Silas, a young autistic trans man living in a magical variant of the Victorian era. In this world, there is a veil between the living and the dead, and sometimes children are born with the capacity to interact with and manipulate that veil, to commune with those beyond. Silas is one such boy, but he is uninterested in spirits, in his words "I wanted the soul while it was still attached to the body, when it still thrummed with life." He, inspired by his doctor brother and unsanctioned visits to the operating theater, is a student of science and medicine, yearning for the day that he is able to live openly as himself and as a surgeon.
Instead, following an incident wherein he attempts to steal documentation that would allow him to do so, he is brought to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitarium. The school operates under the claim that some young women who were born with that gene which allows them to manipulate the veil fall subject to Veil Sickness. The sickness is described as an ailment of the mind, having symptoms akin to hysteria and Braxton's exists as a place to experiment with various treatments. Here, Silas is only referred to by his dead name, he is threatened and harmed by the headmaster and his wife, and, perhaps most importantly he uncovers a web of deceit and abuse after one of the girls disappears overnight.
Despite being a fantastical horror, it's obvious that White did his research into the history of medical treatment for anyone society deemed "other." The layers of abuse, taunts, and medical experimentation are (pardon my pun) well fleshed out - multiple times during my reading of this I found myself gasping aloud, flinching in horror, gripping the nearest surface until my knuckles turned white. Some part of me felt that if I turned away, I would be complicit.
In the midst of this, there is hope, friendship romance. A beating heart to encourage me to keep reading, to see them through to the other side no matter what. The moments between Silas and Daphne and the begrudging friendship between him and Mary were so real to me. Their relationships were bright, vivid against the bleak situations they faced.
Sometimes, that is enough.
To articulate the way I feel about this book is akin to parsing out a translation from a language I don't know. I find myself grasping at words, feelings, pictures, anything, and all of it falls short.
This book follows Silas, a young autistic trans man living in a magical variant of the Victorian era. In this world, there is a veil between the living and the dead, and sometimes children are born with the capacity to interact with and manipulate that veil, to commune with those beyond. Silas is one such boy, but he is uninterested in spirits, in his words "I wanted the soul while it was still attached to the body, when it still thrummed with life." He, inspired by his doctor brother and unsanctioned visits to the operating theater, is a student of science and medicine, yearning for the day that he is able to live openly as himself and as a surgeon.
Instead, following an incident wherein he attempts to steal documentation that would allow him to do so, he is brought to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitarium. The school operates under the claim that some young women who were born with that gene which allows them to manipulate the veil fall subject to Veil Sickness. The sickness is described as an ailment of the mind, having symptoms akin to hysteria and Braxton's exists as a place to experiment with various treatments. Here, Silas is only referred to by his dead name, he is threatened and harmed by the headmaster and his wife, and, perhaps most importantly he uncovers a web of deceit and abuse after one of the girls disappears overnight.
Despite being a fantastical horror, it's obvious that White did his research into the history of medical treatment for anyone society deemed "other." The layers of abuse, taunts, and medical experimentation are (pardon my pun) well fleshed out - multiple times during my reading of this I found myself gasping aloud, flinching in horror, gripping the nearest surface until my knuckles turned white. Some part of me felt that if I turned away, I would be complicit.
In the midst of this, there is hope, friendship romance. A beating heart to encourage me to keep reading, to see them through to the other side no matter what. The moments between Silas and Daphne and the begrudging friendship between him and Mary were so real to me. Their relationships were bright, vivid against the bleak situations they faced.
Sometimes, that is enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault