The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Wow. There's so much I want to say and so little I can articulate. I'm not squeamish, I can read most things without flinching. This book made me feel sick. It shows the patriarchy at its worst, and even though this story is fictional, the events that made me recoil are very realistic and definitely happened in one way or another and are probably still happening to this day. I will recommend this book. I loved it. I loved the characters, which made it even harder to bear when bad things happened to them. But I will also warn you that it really cuts into you and wriggles through your organs where it hurts the most. It will make you want to scream at the injustices happening to people who just want to exist. It will make you sick as you bear witness to the depravity those people have to endure at the hands of men in power. And it will leave you with a tiny speck of hope that sometimes there are people who will love you for who you are without wanting to change you, even if you may meet them in the darkest of places.

Andrew Joseph White hat sich für mich in kürzester Zeit zu einem Autor entwickelt, von dem ich ALLES lesen will. Ich mag es, wie er Young Adult Fantasy Horror und Gesellschaftskritik mischt. Auch bei ‚The Spirit Bares Its Teeth‘, übersetzt von Katrin Aust, ist diese wieder zu spüren. Selbst wenn die Geschichte in einem viktorianischen London spielt. Der (feministische) Kampf gegen ein System, das Menschen diskriminiert, ist heute nicht weniger wichtig. Silas ist ein Transjunge und sieht gar nicht ein, jemandem eine brave Speaker-Ehefrau zu werden. Doch das ist das Schicksal, dass seine Eltern für ihn vorgesehen haben. Nachdem ein Versuch scheitert, diesem Plan zu entgehen, findet er sich in einem Sanatorium wieder, in dem Frauen, sagen wir mal.., wieder auf Linie gebracht werden soll. Eine Linie, die natürlich von Männer definiert wird. Der Ansatz in diesem Einzelband ist gleich von Beginn an erkennbar: Ein feministischer Kampf in einer Welt, die von Männern dominiert wird. In der Frauen die traditionellen Rollen zu erfüllen haben, die sich das Patriarchat wünscht: Am Herd, im Kinderzimmer, mit einer Tasse Tee im Salon, Gäste empfangend. Dabei haben sie leise und zart zu sein, auf keinen Fall zu widersprechen. White rennt bei mir mit so einer Geschichte offene Türen ein. Ich bin Einstiegsfeministin und versuche im Alltag andere Frauen* zu unterstützen, sei es nur durch kleine Gesten. Zu lesen, wie diese in vergangenen Jahrhunderten behandelt wurden, löst in mir nur kaltes Grausen aus. Denn selbst wenn Whites Geschichte Fiktion ist, sind es die Schilderungen der Grausamkeiten nicht. Natürlich hat er sich Freiheiten bei der Erzählung historischer Fakten genommen, aber dass vor allem ethnische Minderheiten, Queere, Frauen und Behinderte als nicht den sozialen Normen entsprechend angesehen wurden, ist Fakt. Sie waren diejenigen, die „medizinische“ Experimente jeglicher Art erleiden mussten. Schon allein das ist Horror genug, aber es nochmal in einer Geschichte verpackt serviert zu bekommen, hat mich besonders mitgenommen. Nicht mal unbedingt wegen der Nähe zu den Figuren, die ich nur zu ein paar der Charaktere verspürt habe. Nein, vor allem wegen des Systems, das dahintersteckt. Wer alles von den grausamen Experimenten wusste, wer sie unterstützt hat. Sei es durch aktive Mitarbeit oder durch schlichtes passives geschehen lassen. Das ist übrigens auch auf die heutige Zeit übertragbar. Das System schützt die Menschen mit Macht, Reichtum und Einfluss. Sie sind vernetzt, unterstützen sich und fördern dadurch eine Gesellschaft, die alle ausschließt, die nicht so sind wie sie. Die andere ausbeutet, klein haltet und ihnen einredet, dass sie nicht so viel wert sind, wie sie. Der Fantasyaspekt der Story tritt durch diese Präsenz des Kampfes gegen ein unterdrückendes System fast ein bisschen in den Hintergrund. Das zeigt aber mal wieder, wie oft Fantasyromane reale Themen aufgreifen, aufzeigen und bewerten. Und wie politisch lesen ist.

After attempting (and failing) to escape his arranged marriage, our trans, autistic main character Silas Bell gets send off to the Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium, to "cure" him of everything that society and his parents deem to be wrong with him- mainly that he doesn't want to be an obedient speaker wife, doesn't want to be the girl that everybody sees him as, and instead wants to study his special interest, medicine, in a time where women weren't allowed to study. Nonetheless, off to certain doom he goes. What expects him is not just the training to be a good wife, but manmade horrors beyond his imagination. He'll have to rely on his new allies and friends, and use all of his wit to get out of here alive, whie also making sure no girl will ever find her death again in these halls. Andrew White's novels grab me by the throat everytime, and this one was no exception. From creating amazing characters like Silas and Daphne that you'll absolutely love, to characters like the headmaster that you'll immediately despise. All this while the story, talking about social injustice, the patriarchy, and the inhumane treatment of those who where different during the time, slice into you like a dagger. With more historical accuracies than you would like from a horror novel like this, you're certain to form grueling questions about the state of things during the 19th century. I read it the day it came out, and after two days I finished it, not being able to start anything else for a while because this book took me apart from the inside out. It was gorey, even disgusting at times, but the visceral rage, the cry for help that turns into a cry for blood after being ignored to long, all made it into one of my favorite books ever. If you don't mind or even like horror, especially body horror, and if you want a book about social injustice and queer rage, this is for you.

This is an extraordinary literary work that defies conventional categorization. Attempting to assign a mere numerical rating feels inadequate, as it transcends the boundaries of typical literature. This book is a revelation, a journey that leaves an indelible mark on the reader's soul. One of the most striking features of this book is its unique narrative style. The author weaves a tapestry of prose that is both poetic and profound. The language dances on the page, painting vivid images and evoking emotions with unparalleled precision. At its core, the book delves into the depths of the human spirit, exploring themes of resilience, self-discovery, and the unyielding power of the soul. The book also grapples with the duality of existence, juxtaposing light and darkness, hope and despair. It unflinchingly addresses the complexities of human relationships, portraying them in all their messy, beautiful glory.

[I received a free ebook copy from Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink and Netgalley. This review is done freely, honestly and without payment]. „At least the doctors had the decency to kill me before they opened me up (...) After i was dead i watched them cut me apart.“ · Summary: Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all. London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he’ll be married by the end of the year. It doesn’t matter that he’s needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing. After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—if the school doesn’t break him first. Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity. · I’d like to say I was endlessly excited about this book, but somehow it sounds wrong when you know what the book is about. Was I tense, jittery, and pumped up like a toddler before Christmas? I think so. Already with „Hell Followed With Us“, Andrew Jospeh White has sneaked his way into my heart and I think I can say that after only two (actually already after the first) books, he is one of my favourite authors. I love his books not only for the inclusivity and creativity, but also for that beautiful, sometimes poetically cruel writing style, horror-like settings, AND addressing topics that many don’t dare to approach. (Especially not in this way and combination?). Where „Hell Followed With Us“ was post-apocalyptic and thus more horror-heavy (at least for me), „The Spirit Bares Its Teeth“ created a tightness in my chest and throat that I could hardly breathe at some points. „(...) I need you to remember that. You are beautiful, well-bred, and so, so lucky.“ „Just like a woman does not fully experience womanhood if she doesn’t bear her own children.“ When I have a physical copy in my hands at some point, I’ll probably have to get a second one. Why? So I can throw one around the flat while re-reading, screaming and crying. I’m actually pretty tough when it comes to books (and other media), but Andrew Joseph White wove such a tight web with his language (and the great formatting in the book) that I couldn’t keep myself separate. It made me sick to my stomach and made me cry; had to take long breaks while reading and I would say this book (just like its predecessor) is not a „light read for in between“. This book has something to say and it screams and whispers and cries and fights. It throws around rotten words that none of us want to hear but should never forget. This book is not just fiction (The story is, of course!) - but in there, between the lines, in all those words, is history. Our history. „DON’T HURT HIM HE’LL HURT YOU DON’T HURT HIM HE’LL HURT YOU“ I think I fell in love with Silas (protagonist) almost immediately; he must have taken my heart by storm and that didn’t make the book any easier. He was so approachable, so ... I can’t even put it into words. I guess it felt like he was lying next to me on the couch/bed telling me his story; suffocating me with his words and experiences. It hurt. All the characters in this book hurt and the little bright moments were like a glass of water in the desert. They felt like a illusion. I can’t say this book was a „nice“ experience, but I love it. It’s cruel and brutal and tears your heart apart and then somehow tries to stitch you back together. I love the characters with all their facets and quirks. I am once again grateful for a book that shook and moved me deeply. A book that shows how much pain and injustice can be inflicted on people / living beings just because they are „different“ / don’t fit the norm and you don’t understand them. Because one is afraid of things one cannot control. Because one wants to have power - power all to oneself. Thank you. <3 Over and Out, I’m watching kitten videos on Youtube now.