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I Keep My Worries in My Teeth
A dazzling, sublimely funny debut that follows three unforgettable women who fight back after life kicks them in the teeth.
Esther, Frankie, and Ruth live in a small Ohio town anchored by the thriving Juliet Pencils factory. After a freak accident at the plant, these women have to re-create their lives using the only tools they’ve got: wits, molars, and a new pair of shoes.
Esther is an anxious person with a very specific prowess: she bites pencils. Her skill pays her bills but more importantly keeps her many worries in check. When the accident leaves her suddenly unemployed, she searches for new ways to manage her anxiety, but nothing works. She must discover a solution before her teeth mutiny and her worries take over.
Frankie, the teenage daughter of the pencil factory owner, is full of contradictions. She wages a campaign to become the only girl in an all-boys club and listens exclusively to punk music, but she also watches soap operas in secret. After the accident damages Frankie’s ability to speak, she is forced to step out of her powerful mother’s shadow so she can discover who she is and what she wants to say.
Ruth owns the local photography lab. She spends her days processing people’s happy memories but spends her nights alone, talking to her dead husband. As the town unravels, Ruth spearheads a massive campaign to refocus on its future, but nothing will succeed until Ruth lets go of her past.
This hilarious and redemptive story explores three women’s liberation amid a tumult of grief, loneliness, and first love.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 23, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 17, 2020
Ohio, 1979. Juliet Pencils was the largest employer in Leads. A bright neon sign announced, "Juliet Pencils Make You Write". At the helm was Juliet Rosenblum, the latest in a long line of Juliets, running the factory. Challenges and hurdles would soon envelop the town.
Ruth Stanhope owned Vixen Photography. Thirty years ago, she opened her first store, across from the Juliet Pencils factory. "I transform negatives into positives...Portable enchantment...In a photograph, distance disappears and past fuses to present...". Ruth kept unclaimed photos. "I just wanted to surround myself with rectangles of reclaimed time".
Esther Spark, in her late 30's, had worked for Juliet Pencils for fifteen years. At Juliet Pencils, Esther was a MouthFeel Tester. "Any day I bite wood is a good day...exercising my teeth exorcises my worries". As a MouthFeel Tester, "...my tools transport me to a toothy parallel universe where I sync with my clients biting habits...". Esther recorded observations about paint integrity, wood strength and tongue feel, glitter-embedded pencils included.
Teenage punk, rebellious Frankie, daughter of the factory owner, attended St. Lucy's All Girl Prep Academy. She was being raised to embrace "the joy of feminine self-sufficiency". Through perseverance, she succeeded in joining the boys-only Patriot Adventurers. She could now learn to camp and fish...and yes...hook up with Noah.
An explosion! From Ruth's vantage point at her photography store, she witnessed smoke pouring out from Juliet Pencil factory windows. Photos of the blaze were taken by Ruth's former photography student Sam, now renowned for his work. "I will take Sam's film to the darkroom where I will process and make visible what I do not want to see". "Factory workers knee-deep in shattered pencils...Juliet's mouth stalled mid-scream...". Frankie, a pencil lodged in her throat, rushed by ambulance to hospital. Esther with a cooler helmet on her head, diving behind shelves, a pencil in her mouth. "A pencil Gettysburg".
The aftermath. A catastrophic accident with a huge economic impact. Many residents are suddenly without jobs. Ruth contemplates "a fix" through photography. Esther, needing a "calm mind, calm mouth" needs "mouth-tasting pencil substitutes...toilet plungers are a total surprise, solid molar love...". Frankie, having suffered a severe vocal injury, is gifted a pair of tap shoes.
"I Keep My Worries in My Teeth" by Anna Cox is an amazing debut novel. It is a unique story of love, heartbreak, anxiety and anguish with many splashes of humor as the residents of Leads try to come to grips with the factory explosion that disrupted life as they knew it. A most enjoyable read I highly recommend.
Thank you Little A and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ruth Stanhope owned Vixen Photography. Thirty years ago, she opened her first store, across from the Juliet Pencils factory. "I transform negatives into positives...Portable enchantment...In a photograph, distance disappears and past fuses to present...". Ruth kept unclaimed photos. "I just wanted to surround myself with rectangles of reclaimed time".
Esther Spark, in her late 30's, had worked for Juliet Pencils for fifteen years. At Juliet Pencils, Esther was a MouthFeel Tester. "Any day I bite wood is a good day...exercising my teeth exorcises my worries". As a MouthFeel Tester, "...my tools transport me to a toothy parallel universe where I sync with my clients biting habits...". Esther recorded observations about paint integrity, wood strength and tongue feel, glitter-embedded pencils included.
Teenage punk, rebellious Frankie, daughter of the factory owner, attended St. Lucy's All Girl Prep Academy. She was being raised to embrace "the joy of feminine self-sufficiency". Through perseverance, she succeeded in joining the boys-only Patriot Adventurers. She could now learn to camp and fish...and yes...hook up with Noah.
An explosion! From Ruth's vantage point at her photography store, she witnessed smoke pouring out from Juliet Pencil factory windows. Photos of the blaze were taken by Ruth's former photography student Sam, now renowned for his work. "I will take Sam's film to the darkroom where I will process and make visible what I do not want to see". "Factory workers knee-deep in shattered pencils...Juliet's mouth stalled mid-scream...". Frankie, a pencil lodged in her throat, rushed by ambulance to hospital. Esther with a cooler helmet on her head, diving behind shelves, a pencil in her mouth. "A pencil Gettysburg".
The aftermath. A catastrophic accident with a huge economic impact. Many residents are suddenly without jobs. Ruth contemplates "a fix" through photography. Esther, needing a "calm mind, calm mouth" needs "mouth-tasting pencil substitutes...toilet plungers are a total surprise, solid molar love...". Frankie, having suffered a severe vocal injury, is gifted a pair of tap shoes.
"I Keep My Worries in My Teeth" by Anna Cox is an amazing debut novel. It is a unique story of love, heartbreak, anxiety and anguish with many splashes of humor as the residents of Leads try to come to grips with the factory explosion that disrupted life as they knew it. A most enjoyable read I highly recommend.
Thank you Little A and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2020
LOVED IT!!!
Anna Cox teaches photography at universities in Canada and in the United States. This is her first novel.
“I Keep My Worries In My Teeth” builds with humor...scintillating...lustrous humor....
with a sarcastic slang tickling the dialogue.
There were numerous sentences that unexpectedly stripped me down and left me feeling melancholy, and in ‘awe’....
Awe in an eye-opening way of looking at life through new lenses: literally and figuratively.
The story begins in Ohio, 1979.... in a small town...moored by a flourishing pencil factory.
Ruth Stanhope, Esther Spark, Frankie Rosenblum ....
alternate the chapters forward.
The very beginning captured my attention.
“In another time, I would have been an alchemist, but in 1979 people buy their gold at the mall, so I perform a different kind of magic. I transform negatives into positives”
Ruth Stanhope begins our story. She owns Vixen Photography, ( three shops/ three locations), and her business is looking at her customers business.
“In a photograph, distance disappears and past fuses to present; it’s time travel, on the cheap. No ticket, no passport. Stop a rocket with your pinky, hold a flame and never blister. portable enchantment, rolled up and lighttight”.
I learned a lot of fascinating tidbits about the world of photography from Ruth....both from the mechanics of photography... and the deeper emotional offerings that photos are to us.
The intimacy I - especially- felt with Ruth - allowed me to visit some of my own memories. Her husband, Max died much too young.
My father, Max, also died much too young.
Ruth spent her days in the photography lab processing other peoples happy memories, when her own memories were filled with grief, sorrow, and loss.
The following excerpt had me sit and ponder for awhile - before reading more:
“Pretending to forget isn’t the same thing as actually forgetting. I pretend to forget that Tuesdays exist, but something always comes between Monday and Wednesday”
“My husband, Max, died on a Tuesday. That morning he’d brought me coffee in bed, one thing led to another, and I was late for work, again. Just another Tuesday and what I assumed would be a long change of Tuesdays”.
Esther Spark, is a character unlike anyone I know ... but gosh I loved her quirks and her heart.
She kept her worries in her teeth....literally!
“The one worry that unites both bicuspids and incisors is the fear of getting knocked out”.
Esther was worried that she couldn’t live without her teeth—she would lose her job—a disaster because her mouth was the only place in the world that made sense to her....
[note: not to worry... this will make more sense as you keep reading]....
Instead of seeing dead people... ha... Esther chewed pencils.
Esther had been an anxious kid with angry gums.
“Birch bark, tire tread, clay pots, and silky cat paws— if I wanted to calm myself, I opened my mouth and shoved it in”.
Instead of cuddling teddy bears as a kid, Esther learned to cuddle rolling pins and vacuum cleaner hoses.
When her permanent teeth arrived she got fat, fast. Tests ruled out glandular problems, and dentists question the excessive wear on her molars, but no one knew what to do, so her mother enrolled her in ballet classes. She lost weight because the other girls taught her how to eat without eating.
Esther was now in her late 30s, but the dentist told her she had gums of an 80-year-old.
She worked at Julia’s pencils... for nearly 15 years.....the most successful pencil factory on the East Coast.
Esther was in charge of the
“Wall of Bite Fame”, that showcased pencils in individual glass cases. Every year the pencil factory got many tourists that came to see the displayed pencils... ( think Marilyn Monroe, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy chewing on pencil photos, etc).
Esther tells us that of all things that women put in their mouths, ‘pencils’ were the number two most popular.
Ha... I was quickly reminded the story took place in 1979, not 2020.
Pencils, anyone? Can’t find one in my own house!
Frankie Rosenblum, was Juliet’s daughter. She’d been coming around the pencil factory since she was a kid who got dropped off after school. She was still coming around as a high school student.
Frankie attended St. Lucy’s All Girls Preparatory Academy.
She had a big school rally coming up - but fortunately or unfortunately it was scheduled on the same day as her mother’s vocation day at the pencil factory ( with TV crew): “Girls! Do Work”.
Frankie’s mother, Juliet, says:
“Promoting lifelong dedication to a man, no matter how spectacular his abilities, isn’t appropriate career counseling”.
Oh course, Frankie rolls her eyes as in.... “oh please”!
Frankie is a punk-music-listening girl... with a sorta ( ok, really and truly), boyfriend named Noah.
The pencil factory had been in the Rosenblum family for many generations.....
As Juliet would say again:
.......”like Judaism: rich with tradition and inherited through the mother”.
An accident happens at the pencil factory ....
don’t think I’m dishing out the details....I can’t do other readers chewing and swallowing—you know?/!....
However....
“Teeth remember everything. Every popcorn kernel, mouth-torn strip of tape, gnawed cuticle, rubbery brisket, lover’s ear, and impromptu candy corn fangs. When I’m really anxious, I try to calm my teeth by thinking about my childhood, the yeasty tang of my father’s loafers, the solid comfort of wooden crib spindles and vacuum cleaner hoses”.
Chew on that!!! 😁
A funny, unique, elegiac novel.... also incredibly poignant!
Big super thanks to *Anna Cox*: I think she’s terrific; talented!
I’ll be first in line for her second book to read.
Not too long... very enjoyable... my thinking shifted......
The power of this novel sneaked up on me just like life does.... with heartbreak and love!!
Thank you also to *Little A* publishing - and Netgalley.
Anna Cox teaches photography at universities in Canada and in the United States. This is her first novel.
“I Keep My Worries In My Teeth” builds with humor...scintillating...lustrous humor....
with a sarcastic slang tickling the dialogue.
There were numerous sentences that unexpectedly stripped me down and left me feeling melancholy, and in ‘awe’....
Awe in an eye-opening way of looking at life through new lenses: literally and figuratively.
The story begins in Ohio, 1979.... in a small town...moored by a flourishing pencil factory.
Ruth Stanhope, Esther Spark, Frankie Rosenblum ....
alternate the chapters forward.
The very beginning captured my attention.
“In another time, I would have been an alchemist, but in 1979 people buy their gold at the mall, so I perform a different kind of magic. I transform negatives into positives”
Ruth Stanhope begins our story. She owns Vixen Photography, ( three shops/ three locations), and her business is looking at her customers business.
“In a photograph, distance disappears and past fuses to present; it’s time travel, on the cheap. No ticket, no passport. Stop a rocket with your pinky, hold a flame and never blister. portable enchantment, rolled up and lighttight”.
I learned a lot of fascinating tidbits about the world of photography from Ruth....both from the mechanics of photography... and the deeper emotional offerings that photos are to us.
The intimacy I - especially- felt with Ruth - allowed me to visit some of my own memories. Her husband, Max died much too young.
My father, Max, also died much too young.
Ruth spent her days in the photography lab processing other peoples happy memories, when her own memories were filled with grief, sorrow, and loss.
The following excerpt had me sit and ponder for awhile - before reading more:
“Pretending to forget isn’t the same thing as actually forgetting. I pretend to forget that Tuesdays exist, but something always comes between Monday and Wednesday”
“My husband, Max, died on a Tuesday. That morning he’d brought me coffee in bed, one thing led to another, and I was late for work, again. Just another Tuesday and what I assumed would be a long change of Tuesdays”.
Esther Spark, is a character unlike anyone I know ... but gosh I loved her quirks and her heart.
She kept her worries in her teeth....literally!
“The one worry that unites both bicuspids and incisors is the fear of getting knocked out”.
Esther was worried that she couldn’t live without her teeth—she would lose her job—a disaster because her mouth was the only place in the world that made sense to her....
[note: not to worry... this will make more sense as you keep reading]....
Instead of seeing dead people... ha... Esther chewed pencils.
Esther had been an anxious kid with angry gums.
“Birch bark, tire tread, clay pots, and silky cat paws— if I wanted to calm myself, I opened my mouth and shoved it in”.
Instead of cuddling teddy bears as a kid, Esther learned to cuddle rolling pins and vacuum cleaner hoses.
When her permanent teeth arrived she got fat, fast. Tests ruled out glandular problems, and dentists question the excessive wear on her molars, but no one knew what to do, so her mother enrolled her in ballet classes. She lost weight because the other girls taught her how to eat without eating.
Esther was now in her late 30s, but the dentist told her she had gums of an 80-year-old.
She worked at Julia’s pencils... for nearly 15 years.....the most successful pencil factory on the East Coast.
Esther was in charge of the
“Wall of Bite Fame”, that showcased pencils in individual glass cases. Every year the pencil factory got many tourists that came to see the displayed pencils... ( think Marilyn Monroe, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy chewing on pencil photos, etc).
Esther tells us that of all things that women put in their mouths, ‘pencils’ were the number two most popular.
Ha... I was quickly reminded the story took place in 1979, not 2020.
Pencils, anyone? Can’t find one in my own house!
Frankie Rosenblum, was Juliet’s daughter. She’d been coming around the pencil factory since she was a kid who got dropped off after school. She was still coming around as a high school student.
Frankie attended St. Lucy’s All Girls Preparatory Academy.
She had a big school rally coming up - but fortunately or unfortunately it was scheduled on the same day as her mother’s vocation day at the pencil factory ( with TV crew): “Girls! Do Work”.
Frankie’s mother, Juliet, says:
“Promoting lifelong dedication to a man, no matter how spectacular his abilities, isn’t appropriate career counseling”.
Oh course, Frankie rolls her eyes as in.... “oh please”!
Frankie is a punk-music-listening girl... with a sorta ( ok, really and truly), boyfriend named Noah.
The pencil factory had been in the Rosenblum family for many generations.....
As Juliet would say again:
.......”like Judaism: rich with tradition and inherited through the mother”.
An accident happens at the pencil factory ....
don’t think I’m dishing out the details....I can’t do other readers chewing and swallowing—you know?/!....
However....
“Teeth remember everything. Every popcorn kernel, mouth-torn strip of tape, gnawed cuticle, rubbery brisket, lover’s ear, and impromptu candy corn fangs. When I’m really anxious, I try to calm my teeth by thinking about my childhood, the yeasty tang of my father’s loafers, the solid comfort of wooden crib spindles and vacuum cleaner hoses”.
Chew on that!!! 😁
A funny, unique, elegiac novel.... also incredibly poignant!
Big super thanks to *Anna Cox*: I think she’s terrific; talented!
I’ll be first in line for her second book to read.
Not too long... very enjoyable... my thinking shifted......
The power of this novel sneaked up on me just like life does.... with heartbreak and love!!
Thank you also to *Little A* publishing - and Netgalley.
October 26, 2020
There’s no denying it, this book is downright wacky but once you accept that this book is an absolute delight. Quirkier than quirky characters with a town centred around a pencil factory. There’s Esther the pencil factory’s official mouth feel tester with severe anxiety and a fetish that extends to biting a variety of inanimate objects to help calm her down. Then a tragic fire that destroys said factory and you get a recipe for a crazy, weird and wonderful story full of wit and oddities, there are so many absurd moments that it would be hard to forget this story in a hurry. Maybe this will be a little too weird for some tastes but I really enjoyed the absurdity of the characters and situations. If you like your books with a witty bite and a different point of view you will love this!
October 22, 2020
A very interesting novel. I wanted to read I KEEP MY WORRIES IN MY TEETH after reading a book list by Anna Cox in Electric Lit.
The story follows the perspective of three women—Esther Spark, Ruth Stanhope and Frankie Rosenblum— whose lives are disrupted after an explosion at Juliet Pencil Factory in a small Ohio Town in 1979. Esther, a woman in her late thirties, works at the factory as a "MouthFeel Tester," and is also in charge of the "Bite Wall of Fame (for fifteen years). Her dentist tells her she has the gums of an eighty year old. But she loves her job and keeps worries between her teeth. Her job involves biting pencils and submitting detailed reports about the pencils' strength, taste, mouthfeel, and grading them from 1 (bad) to 8 (excellent). The Bite wall of fame houses chewed pencils in glass cases — pencils chewed by Marilyn Monroe, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Henry Kissinger etc. When she loses her job because of the explosion, she takes to chewing on other things —wooden hangers, toilet plungers — to ease her mind. Ruth, a widow, is still mourning the loss of her husband. She runs Vixen Photography (three stores, one being opposite Juliet's Pencil Factory which was opened thirty years ago). She tries to repair past while repairing old, damaged, sun stained photographs. And in doing so she believes she is modifying or comforting the past. Frankie is Juliet's, of Juliet Pencil Factory fame, teenage daughter. The factory explosion leads to her losing her voice. She is funny, witty, in a boy's club, and hoping to hook up with Noah. But losing her voice, combined with a protective mother, changes things. She notices that the nurses behave differently when her mother is around. Her mom does not approve of the TV show she loves but the nurses watch it and fill her up with the details.
Esther is worrying about never finding love. Ruth is mourning the loss of her love. Frankie is hoping her fist love will be wonderful. This was an enjoyable read and I loved Esther the best. It was interesting to see how the factory played a role in these women's lives, directly or indirectly. The book was a promising read and a unique experience.
Rating : 3.5
Much thanks to Little A for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
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The story follows the perspective of three women—Esther Spark, Ruth Stanhope and Frankie Rosenblum— whose lives are disrupted after an explosion at Juliet Pencil Factory in a small Ohio Town in 1979. Esther, a woman in her late thirties, works at the factory as a "MouthFeel Tester," and is also in charge of the "Bite Wall of Fame (for fifteen years). Her dentist tells her she has the gums of an eighty year old. But she loves her job and keeps worries between her teeth. Her job involves biting pencils and submitting detailed reports about the pencils' strength, taste, mouthfeel, and grading them from 1 (bad) to 8 (excellent). The Bite wall of fame houses chewed pencils in glass cases — pencils chewed by Marilyn Monroe, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Henry Kissinger etc. When she loses her job because of the explosion, she takes to chewing on other things —wooden hangers, toilet plungers — to ease her mind. Ruth, a widow, is still mourning the loss of her husband. She runs Vixen Photography (three stores, one being opposite Juliet's Pencil Factory which was opened thirty years ago). She tries to repair past while repairing old, damaged, sun stained photographs. And in doing so she believes she is modifying or comforting the past. Frankie is Juliet's, of Juliet Pencil Factory fame, teenage daughter. The factory explosion leads to her losing her voice. She is funny, witty, in a boy's club, and hoping to hook up with Noah. But losing her voice, combined with a protective mother, changes things. She notices that the nurses behave differently when her mother is around. Her mom does not approve of the TV show she loves but the nurses watch it and fill her up with the details.
Esther is worrying about never finding love. Ruth is mourning the loss of her love. Frankie is hoping her fist love will be wonderful. This was an enjoyable read and I loved Esther the best. It was interesting to see how the factory played a role in these women's lives, directly or indirectly. The book was a promising read and a unique experience.
Rating : 3.5
Much thanks to Little A for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
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February 13, 2020
Clever and quirky with snappy dialogue. Cox' s debut succeeds in carrying off a unique setting of a town called Lead where the pencil factory I'd the main source of employment. Told through the eyes of three female characters, memories, grief, resilience and new beginnings are examined. Thought provoking and fresh.
Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley
Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley
February 25, 2020
I read this as my first ever advance book copy from Net Galley and hope my short hoenst review will be useful to others.
I requested the book as the blurb, female characters and very unique plot sounded really interesting and it isn't too much of a chunky book. The book meanders between three perspectives, fairly equally and has great female leads.
I enjoyed the story, the setting and the very random pencil factory setting!
I found Ruth's tale heartbreaking, and then bizarre in her town rally plan.
Esther's character could have really attracted me to want to read more and more about her, but honestly, I found the teeth / pencil biting aspect a bit too weird, and would have rathered a different mechanism to portray her anxieties instead.
Frankie's journey though I enjoyed thoroughly! Her relationship with herself, her mother and her wider circle. Fabulous!
Great debut, I only rated 3* as I found some aspects a bit bizarre.
I requested the book as the blurb, female characters and very unique plot sounded really interesting and it isn't too much of a chunky book. The book meanders between three perspectives, fairly equally and has great female leads.
I enjoyed the story, the setting and the very random pencil factory setting!
I found Ruth's tale heartbreaking, and then bizarre in her town rally plan.
Esther's character could have really attracted me to want to read more and more about her, but honestly, I found the teeth / pencil biting aspect a bit too weird, and would have rathered a different mechanism to portray her anxieties instead.
Frankie's journey though I enjoyed thoroughly! Her relationship with herself, her mother and her wider circle. Fabulous!
Great debut, I only rated 3* as I found some aspects a bit bizarre.
July 1, 2020
i've read 120 books this year and i can safely say that THIS book is my favorite book so far. i really can't put into words how much i loved this book, i'll have to sit on and it and come back later. this book is FUNNY. i mean, laugh out loud funny. but also depressing and real. gahhh just ... read it.
(also, this was my first goodreads giveaway win!!)
(also, this was my first goodreads giveaway win!!)
August 10, 2020
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
"I was an anxious kid with angry gums."
Is it strange that I can relate to Esther, skilled grinder and clencher of teeth? I understand waking to crunching- stress does that for me. All I can say is, I keep my dentist busy too! Esther’s chops know full well about her worries, it’s where she channels them but it is also how she makes her living as a skilled pencil biter. Her mandible control makes her, she tells us, “the best MouthFeel Tester™ and VIP Pencil Preserver™ Juliet Pencils has ever employed.” Owned by Juliet (all girls in the Rosenblum family are thus named) it will one day be inherited by Frankie (whom Juliet broke with tradition in naming differently). Always passed down through the mother, the factory has been in their family for generations, but the success of the company is more often an embarrassment to the teen. Juliet has raised Frankie to believe in the power of women, and isn’t concerned about being the sort of mother who whips up comforting meals nor teaching her how to be a good wife for a future husband- she’s too busy working hard and setting up “Mom’s Girls! Do Work!” rallies. She has taught her daughter to always be heard in the world in the way she herself blazes through life. Easy to do, until Frankie is in an accident at the factory and wakes up to find herself muted, struggling to make sense of what just happened to her. Worse, her mother Juliet is ever present, worrying over her in a way she never had to before.
Ruth owns and runs the local photography lab and lives each day buried by a grief so deep that is has taken root, leaving her numb. The darkroom is a welcome pause for dragging days and pointless, exhausting interactions. Business may carry a person, but a life it doesn’t make for a brokenhearted widow. It is through others photographs (a stolen moment in time) that she is able to anchor herself. It is a way for her to reclaim time, the very thing “time” that snatched the husband she loved so very much away from her. Ruth’s outpourings are just as much a throbbing ache as the muscles in Esther’s jaw. A loss that clenches and grinds the heart to a pulp. Anna Cox has done a beautiful job writing about love and how easily it can “dematerialize without warning.” She shows us how even something as common as a shirt can lend gravity to a person barely hanging on.
As Ruth develops film, Frankie is developing into a young woman and it’s a nightmare to find herself in a hospital, unable to speak with only a notebook to communicate. Sixteen years old and stuck being treated like she’s a six again! Then there is Noah, whom she met when she joined the all boys troop “Patriot Adventures”, of course there is a story there! Naturally, she endured unwelcome recognition from the other troop members that she didn’t want until Noah came along, which had me laughing. Frankie’s voice brings sunshine to a novel that can gut you with it’s pain. There are times I felt like I was a pencil Esther was chewing on, just like life feeds on Esther, Ruth, Frankie and her mother Juliet. Of course Juliet feels guilty, but guilt isn’t productive- Frankie knows that isn’t the emotion she needs from her strong mother. Frankie has to figure her life out too, reborn to this new way of being in the world, unsure how to make this work- voiceless? Not looking exactly as she did before the accident. There isn’t a rally in the world that can fix this.
What can Esther do now for her hungry teeth? She is jobless, for how long? Her teeth have their demands, she is their hostage! To please them, she chews on all sorts of household things like wooden hangers and a plunger. Her teeth need to work whether they are required to or not! There is such pleasure in the bite, it is her very livelihood! Now her purpose has been taken away, what will she do if the plant doesn’t return to normal? She escapes for a time, at least, in her and Frankie’s guilty pleasure the soap opera Woeful Valley. Yet, her teeth are always waiting… aching… is she going to go crazy before this is all over?
What about Ruth? Is she ever going to climb out of the rubble of her own life? She spends her days seeing as a photographer, missing nothing. Then an idea forms, of taking on other people’s burdens and soon becomes a bigger job than she imagined. It’s madness, it just might be a salve too.
This novel is perfectly strange, intelligently written, painful and engaging to the very end. It is told through the voices of Ruth, Esther and Frankie’s active, humorous young mind. Who knew a story about a pencil factory could be so wonderful! Anna Cox is an author to watch. This is one heck of a debut novel! Love the cover too! Definitely add this book to your summer reading list!
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Little A
"I was an anxious kid with angry gums."
Is it strange that I can relate to Esther, skilled grinder and clencher of teeth? I understand waking to crunching- stress does that for me. All I can say is, I keep my dentist busy too! Esther’s chops know full well about her worries, it’s where she channels them but it is also how she makes her living as a skilled pencil biter. Her mandible control makes her, she tells us, “the best MouthFeel Tester™ and VIP Pencil Preserver™ Juliet Pencils has ever employed.” Owned by Juliet (all girls in the Rosenblum family are thus named) it will one day be inherited by Frankie (whom Juliet broke with tradition in naming differently). Always passed down through the mother, the factory has been in their family for generations, but the success of the company is more often an embarrassment to the teen. Juliet has raised Frankie to believe in the power of women, and isn’t concerned about being the sort of mother who whips up comforting meals nor teaching her how to be a good wife for a future husband- she’s too busy working hard and setting up “Mom’s Girls! Do Work!” rallies. She has taught her daughter to always be heard in the world in the way she herself blazes through life. Easy to do, until Frankie is in an accident at the factory and wakes up to find herself muted, struggling to make sense of what just happened to her. Worse, her mother Juliet is ever present, worrying over her in a way she never had to before.
Ruth owns and runs the local photography lab and lives each day buried by a grief so deep that is has taken root, leaving her numb. The darkroom is a welcome pause for dragging days and pointless, exhausting interactions. Business may carry a person, but a life it doesn’t make for a brokenhearted widow. It is through others photographs (a stolen moment in time) that she is able to anchor herself. It is a way for her to reclaim time, the very thing “time” that snatched the husband she loved so very much away from her. Ruth’s outpourings are just as much a throbbing ache as the muscles in Esther’s jaw. A loss that clenches and grinds the heart to a pulp. Anna Cox has done a beautiful job writing about love and how easily it can “dematerialize without warning.” She shows us how even something as common as a shirt can lend gravity to a person barely hanging on.
As Ruth develops film, Frankie is developing into a young woman and it’s a nightmare to find herself in a hospital, unable to speak with only a notebook to communicate. Sixteen years old and stuck being treated like she’s a six again! Then there is Noah, whom she met when she joined the all boys troop “Patriot Adventures”, of course there is a story there! Naturally, she endured unwelcome recognition from the other troop members that she didn’t want until Noah came along, which had me laughing. Frankie’s voice brings sunshine to a novel that can gut you with it’s pain. There are times I felt like I was a pencil Esther was chewing on, just like life feeds on Esther, Ruth, Frankie and her mother Juliet. Of course Juliet feels guilty, but guilt isn’t productive- Frankie knows that isn’t the emotion she needs from her strong mother. Frankie has to figure her life out too, reborn to this new way of being in the world, unsure how to make this work- voiceless? Not looking exactly as she did before the accident. There isn’t a rally in the world that can fix this.
What can Esther do now for her hungry teeth? She is jobless, for how long? Her teeth have their demands, she is their hostage! To please them, she chews on all sorts of household things like wooden hangers and a plunger. Her teeth need to work whether they are required to or not! There is such pleasure in the bite, it is her very livelihood! Now her purpose has been taken away, what will she do if the plant doesn’t return to normal? She escapes for a time, at least, in her and Frankie’s guilty pleasure the soap opera Woeful Valley. Yet, her teeth are always waiting… aching… is she going to go crazy before this is all over?
What about Ruth? Is she ever going to climb out of the rubble of her own life? She spends her days seeing as a photographer, missing nothing. Then an idea forms, of taking on other people’s burdens and soon becomes a bigger job than she imagined. It’s madness, it just might be a salve too.
This novel is perfectly strange, intelligently written, painful and engaging to the very end. It is told through the voices of Ruth, Esther and Frankie’s active, humorous young mind. Who knew a story about a pencil factory could be so wonderful! Anna Cox is an author to watch. This is one heck of a debut novel! Love the cover too! Definitely add this book to your summer reading list!
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Little A
January 23, 2020
* I received an ARC through Netgalley in return for an honest review *
I think the best way I can describe "I keep my worries in my teeth" is dream-like. Not a heavenly dream or a nightmare, but one of those subtly surreal dreams in which everything seems normal while you're in it but as soon as you're awake you're aware of the little things that don't add up completely or the things that add up but are weird.
Things like tap dancing morse code, camera obscuras in photo stores and pencil biting quality tests.
This novel follows three generations of women in a small town that are affected by an accident in the big pencil factory: the teenage daughter of the owner who ends up without a physical voice but with much to say, the middle-aged widow who owns the photo stores and tries to fix Everything and the pencil mouth feel tester with the nervous biting habit suddenly unemployed.
"I keep my worries in my teeth" doesn't shy away from profound thoughts nor from embracing the surreal side of the story and the humour that can be found in it.
I think the best way I can describe "I keep my worries in my teeth" is dream-like. Not a heavenly dream or a nightmare, but one of those subtly surreal dreams in which everything seems normal while you're in it but as soon as you're awake you're aware of the little things that don't add up completely or the things that add up but are weird.
Things like tap dancing morse code, camera obscuras in photo stores and pencil biting quality tests.
This novel follows three generations of women in a small town that are affected by an accident in the big pencil factory: the teenage daughter of the owner who ends up without a physical voice but with much to say, the middle-aged widow who owns the photo stores and tries to fix Everything and the pencil mouth feel tester with the nervous biting habit suddenly unemployed.
"I keep my worries in my teeth" doesn't shy away from profound thoughts nor from embracing the surreal side of the story and the humour that can be found in it.
January 14, 2021
I'm disappointed that the author refrained from subtitling this "An Oral History." It was certainly about oral pursuits and other forms of social and internal communication - perception and point of view, touch and texture, memory and recall. Another reviewer nailed it by calling this book "funny, depressing and real." Life in Canada in a nutshell, eh? Seriously the whole thing had a intrinsically Canadian feel to it and I felt vindicated when I saw that the author has taught photography here. I loved all the female characters, especially the orally frustrated Esther who is on an enforced break from her job chewing pencils.
I rummage through junk drawers hoping to find a pencil... Ice cubes are the desired hardness but the cold makes my teeth zing; however the ice cube tray is surprisingly satisfying. Under the kitchen sink, a cluster of dry sponges looks promising, but they taste like Comet. The iron skillet tastes like old bacon, which isn't entirely unpleasant, and the Sunday paper, while encouragingly thick, is fundamentally weak, yielding to the smallest bit of saliva, and lipsticking my mouth in green and red smears because ground chuck and broccoli are on sale at the Food Barn.This encapsulates the level of humour in the book, not quite up to the level of hilariousness promised by the cover blurb, more a series of cheerful, sardonic quips that perk up some lovely, introspective observations that deserve a reread. On the other hand, that sex scene was pretty funny, can't miss that. 4 solid stars.
June 21, 2020
I KEEP MY WORRIES IN MY TEETH was an unexpected delight. A debut by Anna Cox, a photographer and professor, the novel is supremely quirky, sharp, and heartfelt. Set in Ohio in 1979, we follow three women who are impacted by the local pencil factory exploding. The stories weave in and out, and the novel’s themes of love, perseverance, and finding one’s voice (literally and figuratively) was such a delight.
Frankie, a 16 year old girl who gets horribly injured during the explosion at her mom’s factory, was my favorite story. I almost wish the whole book was about her, but Esther and Ruth are fantastic characters to follow as well. I just can’t over how fresh and fun Cox’s writing is. Quirky is almost too simple of a word - I really recommend this unique and special book.
Frankie, a 16 year old girl who gets horribly injured during the explosion at her mom’s factory, was my favorite story. I almost wish the whole book was about her, but Esther and Ruth are fantastic characters to follow as well. I just can’t over how fresh and fun Cox’s writing is. Quirky is almost too simple of a word - I really recommend this unique and special book.
January 11, 2025
I love the Indie Press List from Currently Reading, and this book is a prime example of why. I haven’t seen it anywhere before or after Commonplace Books brought it to the show, and it is the type of delightfully weird story I really enjoy. I thought the differing perspectives between the three characters was interesting, and it was so immersive that I found myself clenching my jaw when I read Esther’s (the bite tester) parts. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while, and I would love to discuss it for a book club. Alas, since both my book clubs require copies to be at the library, that probably won’t happen. 4.5 stars
Special shout out to Commonplace Bookstore for stamping an inside page so I know exactly what indie I bought it from!
Special shout out to Commonplace Bookstore for stamping an inside page so I know exactly what indie I bought it from!
August 30, 2020
Won book on Goodreads
This was a book I won in a Goodreads giveaway. I did not enjoy it whatsoever and it’s not a book I could recommend. I neither enjoyed the story nor the method of storytelling. That being said, it’s not a book I would’ve chosen for myself to read; and I am sure it will find an audience.
This was a book I won in a Goodreads giveaway. I did not enjoy it whatsoever and it’s not a book I could recommend. I neither enjoyed the story nor the method of storytelling. That being said, it’s not a book I would’ve chosen for myself to read; and I am sure it will find an audience.
June 24, 2020
This book sucked me in like a deep pool of cool water. The writing is thoughtful, well crafted and accomplished. The story is strong, entertaining, clever, well researched and, did I say clever? It left me wanting much, much more of what Anna Cox has to offer.
June 14, 2021
Sort of random. I liked it, but can't exactly express why. Different.
September 27, 2025
the OCD of it all was so interesting and I loved the portrayals of grief and love
January 25, 2023
I generally like quirky books, but this one just didn't land for me. The plot was too meandering, the characters not super relatable. I just wanted to be done with it.
July 29, 2020
This book is positioned in the *Where'd You Go, Bernadette?* genre. Focusing on three women who are affected when a town's pencil factory explodes, this is what many reviewers would call quirky. It definitely has its quirks: Ruth, a photography shop owner, tries to heal the town by taking in objects that represent people's losses. Esther, who tests the tastes of the pencils at the factory, tries to find replacement things to bite while the factory is being rebuilt, but, unable to cope with life outside of the role-playing she engages in as part of her job, causes trauma instead. Frankie, the factory owner's daughter, is badly hurt in the explosion, but finds ways of communicating with those she loves most. While these women could be interpreted as brave or in the process of coming to terms with their own selves, their lives and thoughts revolve mostly around the men who they think define them, or should be part of their lives. Ruth mourns her husband, killed in a car accident, and cannot move on from his death, even as townspeople move on from their traumas. Esther's uncontrollable desire to bite and her self-inflicted neediness for a male partner ends in gore; Frankie romanticizes her immature boyfriend to the point that she decides that sleeping with him is her most important priority as she recovers. It was painful to watch them accept these actions and be unable to cope in better ways. The writing is colorful and imaginative, but the overarching issues are a problem for me. Finally, the end of the book felt rushed and truncated. There was no sense of completeness in finishing it, no reward for the reader.
July 2, 2020
I KEEP MY WORRIES IN MY TEETH is not at all the story I thought it would be. Not that I really had an idea of what this book would be or how it would flow, but it surprised me at every turn (in the absolutely best way possible). What a great debut.
This book is part contemporary fiction, part absurdist fiction, and part short story collection all rolled into one. It centers on three women, all of different ages and life stages, who live in the same town and have their lives upended by an explosion at the local pencil factory (which is the town’s life blood). What follows are three stories of incredible strength in the face of paralyzing fear and anxiety as well as tests of the will of women. And I absolutely loved it.
This book is first and foremost a character piece. Though there’s a bit of “action” wrapped up in the plot’s catalyst, everything that follows is very much tied to these women’s decisions, dreams, and fears. The book is told from their three very different perspectives, putting the reader directly in their minds and amidst their thoughts, however disconnected or layered they may be. I loved getting to know each of them and learning about them through their ruminations and views of the world. My favorite character was the youngest woman Frankie who lost the use of her voice due to the accident. She was constantly full of surprises and an astonishing maturity that I didn’t expect. She also reminded me of the young woman from GLOW who’s Sam’s daughter. That may or may not have been the image I had in my mind the entire time while reading.
Aside from the characters, I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel played with reality. There are quite a few instances of things that the reader would find to be slightly weird in the “real world” (such as a QA person for the mouthfeel of pencils) that is completely normalized in the world of the novel, but it just adds to the book’s charm as well as one of its larger messages about perspective.
It’s hard not to breeze through this debut, and not just because of its length. Though it features characters dealing directly with serious topics such as grief, anxiety, and irreversible physical injury (just to name a few), I KEEP MY WORRIES IN MY TEETH keeps things light and makes for an incredibly enjoyable read. It’s definitely a book that I’ll want to return to again in the future and give a second pass.
This book is part contemporary fiction, part absurdist fiction, and part short story collection all rolled into one. It centers on three women, all of different ages and life stages, who live in the same town and have their lives upended by an explosion at the local pencil factory (which is the town’s life blood). What follows are three stories of incredible strength in the face of paralyzing fear and anxiety as well as tests of the will of women. And I absolutely loved it.
This book is first and foremost a character piece. Though there’s a bit of “action” wrapped up in the plot’s catalyst, everything that follows is very much tied to these women’s decisions, dreams, and fears. The book is told from their three very different perspectives, putting the reader directly in their minds and amidst their thoughts, however disconnected or layered they may be. I loved getting to know each of them and learning about them through their ruminations and views of the world. My favorite character was the youngest woman Frankie who lost the use of her voice due to the accident. She was constantly full of surprises and an astonishing maturity that I didn’t expect. She also reminded me of the young woman from GLOW who’s Sam’s daughter. That may or may not have been the image I had in my mind the entire time while reading.
Aside from the characters, I also really enjoyed the way in which this novel played with reality. There are quite a few instances of things that the reader would find to be slightly weird in the “real world” (such as a QA person for the mouthfeel of pencils) that is completely normalized in the world of the novel, but it just adds to the book’s charm as well as one of its larger messages about perspective.
It’s hard not to breeze through this debut, and not just because of its length. Though it features characters dealing directly with serious topics such as grief, anxiety, and irreversible physical injury (just to name a few), I KEEP MY WORRIES IN MY TEETH keeps things light and makes for an incredibly enjoyable read. It’s definitely a book that I’ll want to return to again in the future and give a second pass.
December 17, 2025
Must Be Alchemy
I didn’t expect to spend Thanksgiving morning snort laughing and snot crying at my dad’s house in Upstate New York while watching snow flurries flutter by outside the dining room window.
But I dared pick up Anna Cox’s I Keep My Worries In My Teeth.
For those of you who are purists and don’t believe in dog-earing pages let alone [shudder] taking notes in the margins, skip this review. I marked the shit out of this exceptional novel. No fewer than 100 sentences are highlighted, I wrote copious notes in the margins and about 35% of the pages are folded over.
I Keep My Worries In My Teeth is the story of three women in a small Ohio town whose lives are upended when there is a freak accident at the town’s pencil factory. To tell you any more of the plot would be to ruin the experience of diving into this novel blind.
Ruth Stanhope is a photographer who makes her living transforming negatives into positives. She is also battling an enormous grief that often sneaks up on her like a trickster.
Esther Spark keeps her worries in her teeth by working at the pencil factory utilizing her prowess for biting pencils to good purpose. She is dogged by anxiety and loneliness which can only be quenched by literally chomping down on things around her.
And Frankie Rosenblum is the daughter of the pencil factory’s owner; a teenager in love for the first time who is navigating a new normal after being injured in the accident at the plant.
On a micro level, Cox’s novel is a string of brilliant sentence after brilliant sentence. It is astonishing to me how the 26 letters of the alphabet can turn into something so beautiful. Cox must be an alchemist.
On a macro level, it is one of the most impressive explorations of grief, loneliness, anxiety and first love I’ve encountered in literature.
You’d think with these weighty themes the novel would get bogged down in heaviness. But it doesn’t. Instead, it is effervescent and bubbling with laugh-out-loud funny moments. It is quirky, peculiar, and uplifting.
I Keep My Worries In My Teeth is the only 5+ star novel I’ve read in 2025. It is Plato’s ideal of the perfect literary novel. Cox’s gem joins my other all-time favorites: Trevanian’s Shibumi which is the perfect spy novel, and The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell’s perfect work of science fiction.
I didn’t expect to spend Thanksgiving morning snort laughing and snot crying at my dad’s house in Upstate New York while watching snow flurries flutter by outside the dining room window.
But I dared pick up Anna Cox’s I Keep My Worries In My Teeth.
For those of you who are purists and don’t believe in dog-earing pages let alone [shudder] taking notes in the margins, skip this review. I marked the shit out of this exceptional novel. No fewer than 100 sentences are highlighted, I wrote copious notes in the margins and about 35% of the pages are folded over.
I Keep My Worries In My Teeth is the story of three women in a small Ohio town whose lives are upended when there is a freak accident at the town’s pencil factory. To tell you any more of the plot would be to ruin the experience of diving into this novel blind.
Ruth Stanhope is a photographer who makes her living transforming negatives into positives. She is also battling an enormous grief that often sneaks up on her like a trickster.
Esther Spark keeps her worries in her teeth by working at the pencil factory utilizing her prowess for biting pencils to good purpose. She is dogged by anxiety and loneliness which can only be quenched by literally chomping down on things around her.
And Frankie Rosenblum is the daughter of the pencil factory’s owner; a teenager in love for the first time who is navigating a new normal after being injured in the accident at the plant.
On a micro level, Cox’s novel is a string of brilliant sentence after brilliant sentence. It is astonishing to me how the 26 letters of the alphabet can turn into something so beautiful. Cox must be an alchemist.
On a macro level, it is one of the most impressive explorations of grief, loneliness, anxiety and first love I’ve encountered in literature.
You’d think with these weighty themes the novel would get bogged down in heaviness. But it doesn’t. Instead, it is effervescent and bubbling with laugh-out-loud funny moments. It is quirky, peculiar, and uplifting.
I Keep My Worries In My Teeth is the only 5+ star novel I’ve read in 2025. It is Plato’s ideal of the perfect literary novel. Cox’s gem joins my other all-time favorites: Trevanian’s Shibumi which is the perfect spy novel, and The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell’s perfect work of science fiction.
June 19, 2020
3.5 stars
TW: Grief, death of a spouse, hospitalization, major community trauma, alcoholism, allusion to suicide, eating disorder and life threatening injuring
Following the lives of three women, Esther, Ruth and Frankie as all of their lives are changed by an accidental explosion in the local pencil factory. Frankie is the daughter of the owner, and get terribly injured in the explosion, leaving her hospitalized and without a voice. Esther is the companies quality tester for mouthfeel, compulsively feeding into her teeth’s constant need for ‘work’, and Ruth the owner of a photography shop, with a camera obscura, copping with the grief of losing her husband.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it if you like weird and quiet books. It is definitely the kind of book that swallows you into its atmosphere and you can get lost in it for hours. The sort of uncanny feel it creates in the stories of Ruth and Esther, was to me the main joy of the narrative. That feeling that you are at the edge of reality.
However, this was only a 3.5 star for me because of two factors. First, I felt like both of Esther’s and Ruth’s stories could have been a whole novel on it self, and the fact that Frankie story was mixed between the two only threw me off the narrative. Frankie was a great character but her age difference compared to the other women, and also the fact that she lacked the mysterious uncanny that surrounded the other main characters just made it feel like her story did not belong along side the others.
Second, I felt like the second half fell flat. SPOILERS AHEAD. Once Esther’s story stopped being about her, and her compulsive bitting, and about her obsession with her neighbor I lost a lot of interest in her. Same thing with Ruth, who to me held the best written chapters. Her story line dealing with memory and grief became overwhelmed with the whole ‘past fixing/memory fixing’ enterprise, and I think we lose a lot of the narrative arc of her dealing with grief, because she is so focused on other people’s grief.
I would still highly recommend this book, it is well written with some profoundly moving passages, if you are interested I would advise you to check it out.
TW: Grief, death of a spouse, hospitalization, major community trauma, alcoholism, allusion to suicide, eating disorder and life threatening injuring
Following the lives of three women, Esther, Ruth and Frankie as all of their lives are changed by an accidental explosion in the local pencil factory. Frankie is the daughter of the owner, and get terribly injured in the explosion, leaving her hospitalized and without a voice. Esther is the companies quality tester for mouthfeel, compulsively feeding into her teeth’s constant need for ‘work’, and Ruth the owner of a photography shop, with a camera obscura, copping with the grief of losing her husband.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it if you like weird and quiet books. It is definitely the kind of book that swallows you into its atmosphere and you can get lost in it for hours. The sort of uncanny feel it creates in the stories of Ruth and Esther, was to me the main joy of the narrative. That feeling that you are at the edge of reality.
However, this was only a 3.5 star for me because of two factors. First, I felt like both of Esther’s and Ruth’s stories could have been a whole novel on it self, and the fact that Frankie story was mixed between the two only threw me off the narrative. Frankie was a great character but her age difference compared to the other women, and also the fact that she lacked the mysterious uncanny that surrounded the other main characters just made it feel like her story did not belong along side the others.
Second, I felt like the second half fell flat. SPOILERS AHEAD. Once Esther’s story stopped being about her, and her compulsive bitting, and about her obsession with her neighbor I lost a lot of interest in her. Same thing with Ruth, who to me held the best written chapters. Her story line dealing with memory and grief became overwhelmed with the whole ‘past fixing/memory fixing’ enterprise, and I think we lose a lot of the narrative arc of her dealing with grief, because she is so focused on other people’s grief.
I would still highly recommend this book, it is well written with some profoundly moving passages, if you are interested I would advise you to check it out.
June 29, 2020
It’s a brave writer who flirts too blatantly with quirk. It can very easily turn into the literary equivalent of some of Wes Anderson’s films: brilliantly imaginative but, in the final analysis, annoying, like the nervous guy on a first date who can’t stop the jokes and one liners tumbling from his mouth. Anna Cox’s debut novel not only doesn’t do this, it doesn’t do it in spades.
In the small town of Lead, Ohio, the Juliet Pencils Factory is the main employer. When a catastrophic fire temporarily closes the factory in the early pages of the novel, three of the town’s inhabitants are thrown off course.
Ruth owns the town’s photography company. My business is looking at your business. She is grieving for her husband, who died far too early, and for her idyllic marriage. Frankie is the daughter of the eponymous Juliet, caught in the fire due to being at her mom’s work on a vocation day (Girls! Do Work! – it’s 1979). She is critically injured when a stray pencil spikes her throat, leaving her speechless for much of the book. Esther, a marvellous creation, literally keeps her worries in her teeth – Tooth 1: Black ice and banana peels in front of bear traps; Tooth 2: Having a baby; Tooth 3: Not having a baby, Tooth 4: Dying… Some of my teeth are reserved for long-term worries like nuclear annhiliation. She processes everything with them, and has fortuitously landed her dream job at Juliet Pencils: Mouth Feel Tester. (Did you know that of all the things women put in their mouths, pencils are the number two most popular?). Naturally, the burning down of the pencil factory is not good news for her, either.
Ruth launches a campaign to repair memories, by which she means repairing old photos. The townsfolk of Lead, however, are a more literal bunch. They besiege the shop with their husband’s shirts, stained with a lipstick that isn’t theirs, a dictionary. It’s the things I’ve said. I want to take them back… I’ve underlined all the words. There’s a nod to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind here.
This is a wonderful book, fresh and inventive, and the best debut I’ve read in a long time. It thoroughly deserves to get a full head of marketing and publicity steam behind it, reach a wide audience, and do well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
In the small town of Lead, Ohio, the Juliet Pencils Factory is the main employer. When a catastrophic fire temporarily closes the factory in the early pages of the novel, three of the town’s inhabitants are thrown off course.
Ruth owns the town’s photography company. My business is looking at your business. She is grieving for her husband, who died far too early, and for her idyllic marriage. Frankie is the daughter of the eponymous Juliet, caught in the fire due to being at her mom’s work on a vocation day (Girls! Do Work! – it’s 1979). She is critically injured when a stray pencil spikes her throat, leaving her speechless for much of the book. Esther, a marvellous creation, literally keeps her worries in her teeth – Tooth 1: Black ice and banana peels in front of bear traps; Tooth 2: Having a baby; Tooth 3: Not having a baby, Tooth 4: Dying… Some of my teeth are reserved for long-term worries like nuclear annhiliation. She processes everything with them, and has fortuitously landed her dream job at Juliet Pencils: Mouth Feel Tester. (Did you know that of all the things women put in their mouths, pencils are the number two most popular?). Naturally, the burning down of the pencil factory is not good news for her, either.
Ruth launches a campaign to repair memories, by which she means repairing old photos. The townsfolk of Lead, however, are a more literal bunch. They besiege the shop with their husband’s shirts, stained with a lipstick that isn’t theirs, a dictionary. It’s the things I’ve said. I want to take them back… I’ve underlined all the words. There’s a nod to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind here.
This is a wonderful book, fresh and inventive, and the best debut I’ve read in a long time. It thoroughly deserves to get a full head of marketing and publicity steam behind it, reach a wide audience, and do well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
August 20, 2020
This book had potential. That's what I'm most sad about.
I featured this book in a blog post I wrote a few months ago, about novels I was excited to read this year. The premise pulled me in. I expected wit and humor and haunting prose. And while I got that (at times), I was left empty-handed.
The book lacks detail--and it's a shame, as I know Cox is able to whip up some rather pleasurable sentences. Yet, I have questions--questions that almost made me put the book down: What was life at the factory like pre-disaster? What do the characters look like, besides spiky punk rock updos and bleeding gums? Why do I feel like I'm living outside of the town of Lead, and not in it?
I don't like "telling" as much as the next critic, but I'm willing to let it slide.
At times.
Half of this book is passive--telling me events instead of showing. All the heart-rending parts: the disaster, the aftermath, the in-between bits...where did it go? From the summary to the first few paragraphs, I was excited to delve into the realm of Juliet Pencils. I just wish that excitement carried through the rest of the novel.
How does one pen a stunning phrase, "I keep my worries in my teeth," then plunge into laundry-list sentences, for paragraphs at a time? Or more curiously, why?
I'm giving it three stars because I am hopeful that Cox will develop something even better next go around. There was great potential here, and though some of it was squandered, Cox has an imaginative mind and a unique way of storytelling.
I just hope she brings us on that journey with her next time, instead of leaving us reading the Google travel reviews.
I featured this book in a blog post I wrote a few months ago, about novels I was excited to read this year. The premise pulled me in. I expected wit and humor and haunting prose. And while I got that (at times), I was left empty-handed.
The book lacks detail--and it's a shame, as I know Cox is able to whip up some rather pleasurable sentences. Yet, I have questions--questions that almost made me put the book down: What was life at the factory like pre-disaster? What do the characters look like, besides spiky punk rock updos and bleeding gums? Why do I feel like I'm living outside of the town of Lead, and not in it?
I don't like "telling" as much as the next critic, but I'm willing to let it slide.
At times.
Half of this book is passive--telling me events instead of showing. All the heart-rending parts: the disaster, the aftermath, the in-between bits...where did it go? From the summary to the first few paragraphs, I was excited to delve into the realm of Juliet Pencils. I just wish that excitement carried through the rest of the novel.
How does one pen a stunning phrase, "I keep my worries in my teeth," then plunge into laundry-list sentences, for paragraphs at a time? Or more curiously, why?
I'm giving it three stars because I am hopeful that Cox will develop something even better next go around. There was great potential here, and though some of it was squandered, Cox has an imaginative mind and a unique way of storytelling.
I just hope she brings us on that journey with her next time, instead of leaving us reading the Google travel reviews.
June 28, 2020
This was an interesting read for sure!
The story is set in Ohio in 1979 in a town that centers around a pencil factory. The story is told from three perspectives. The first is Ruth who owns three camera stores called Vixen Photography and she is grieving the death of her husband. Esther is an employee at the factory tasked with biting the pencils to test their "mouth feel." Frankie is the daughter of the eccentric hyper-feminist owner of the pencil factory. There is a fire at the pencil factory and everyone in the town's lives are upended, especially these three women.
While I enjoyed having three different perspectives, I felt like they didn't really fit together. I never got that moment where it all clicked and I understood why the story was told from three perspectives. I enjoyed Frankie's sections, I found her relatable and I thought she was written really well. I thought the descriptions of Ruth's grief were phenomenal and honest and real and they were my favorite part of the book. But when she began her own little project she lost me a little. Esther was a little too weird for me. Weird/uniqueness in books isn't something I hate but I just didn't connect to Esther.
Overall, I had somethings that I liked about this book and somethings I didn't but it was an enjoyable read and a job pretty well done by Anna Cox!
The story is set in Ohio in 1979 in a town that centers around a pencil factory. The story is told from three perspectives. The first is Ruth who owns three camera stores called Vixen Photography and she is grieving the death of her husband. Esther is an employee at the factory tasked with biting the pencils to test their "mouth feel." Frankie is the daughter of the eccentric hyper-feminist owner of the pencil factory. There is a fire at the pencil factory and everyone in the town's lives are upended, especially these three women.
While I enjoyed having three different perspectives, I felt like they didn't really fit together. I never got that moment where it all clicked and I understood why the story was told from three perspectives. I enjoyed Frankie's sections, I found her relatable and I thought she was written really well. I thought the descriptions of Ruth's grief were phenomenal and honest and real and they were my favorite part of the book. But when she began her own little project she lost me a little. Esther was a little too weird for me. Weird/uniqueness in books isn't something I hate but I just didn't connect to Esther.
Overall, I had somethings that I liked about this book and somethings I didn't but it was an enjoyable read and a job pretty well done by Anna Cox!
May 7, 2020
Thank you to the author, Little A Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's been a long time since I read a book this clever and quirky. Not all of it resonated with me, but some parts really hit me in the gut, in a good way. The story is told from three different POVs, with very distinct voices: Frankie, the teenage daughter of the owner of the pencil factory (which dominates the town's economy), Ruth, the owner of the Vixen photo studio, and Esther, the character that gives the book its title. Esther is the only one of the three that I really could not get into or understand - but her anxious voice came across very clearly. Both of the others, I loved and got very invested in. Yes, it's a small-town world out of another time: The book is set in the late 1970s, but some of the things that happen are inexplicable and wonderful. Loss, grief, memories and new beginnings are the themes that are explored, very gently and very poignantly - and sometimes very funny. I look forward to reading more from this author!
It's been a long time since I read a book this clever and quirky. Not all of it resonated with me, but some parts really hit me in the gut, in a good way. The story is told from three different POVs, with very distinct voices: Frankie, the teenage daughter of the owner of the pencil factory (which dominates the town's economy), Ruth, the owner of the Vixen photo studio, and Esther, the character that gives the book its title. Esther is the only one of the three that I really could not get into or understand - but her anxious voice came across very clearly. Both of the others, I loved and got very invested in. Yes, it's a small-town world out of another time: The book is set in the late 1970s, but some of the things that happen are inexplicable and wonderful. Loss, grief, memories and new beginnings are the themes that are explored, very gently and very poignantly - and sometimes very funny. I look forward to reading more from this author!
June 13, 2021
What to say about this one!! The writing is superb, detailing mundane tasks in interesting ways, describing strange tasks in matter-of-fact ways. The offbeat, dry humor definitely worked well with the quirky plot that centered around a pencil factory disaster.
I liked the originality of the story—can’t say I’ve ever heard of another novel (or movie, for that matter) about a pencil factory, especially with one of the main characters being held in high esteem for testing the mouthfeel of said pencils. Also, take into account that the story is set in 1979 so like, that could’ve totally been a thing back then, right?
Funnily enough, this book did remind me in some ways of “Winesburg, Ohio”, another unconventional read set in a small Ohio town. Both books feel like classics, ones that have been around a long time and have permanent spots on AP Lit reading lists.
Props to Anna on a funny but heartfelt debut that I won’t soon forget!!
I liked the originality of the story—can’t say I’ve ever heard of another novel (or movie, for that matter) about a pencil factory, especially with one of the main characters being held in high esteem for testing the mouthfeel of said pencils. Also, take into account that the story is set in 1979 so like, that could’ve totally been a thing back then, right?
Funnily enough, this book did remind me in some ways of “Winesburg, Ohio”, another unconventional read set in a small Ohio town. Both books feel like classics, ones that have been around a long time and have permanent spots on AP Lit reading lists.
Props to Anna on a funny but heartfelt debut that I won’t soon forget!!
January 17, 2021
Delightful! I have bitten more than my fair share of pencils, while growing up- not that anyone uses them anymore. I never would have had Esther's self-control, because I assume if they went on to their destinations, she did not completely crush their ends with her incisors. We meet Frankie, who cannot talk; Ester, who must bite everything; Ruth, who sees upside-down, right-side-up, and inversely with the eyes of an artist; and Juliet must fix (photography terms are pivotal)(and aren't old school cameras sort of like pencils? Not obsolete, but... anachronistic?) everything. It's quirky and goofy and sometimes graphic (Esther's date!), and warm and funny and filled with love. It's not for everyone; I thought that as I read it, reading any reviews- but it was very much for me. I can't wait for her next book to come out.
April 2, 2020
Three women dealing with the aftermath of an accident at the pencil factory that employs most of the town: Ruth who owns the photo lab collects unwanted photos and talks to her dead husband; Frankie, the teenage daughter of the factory's owner, injured in the accident, figures out how to move on; and Esther bites pencils. Her teeth will not be satisfied without something to bite, and with pencils no longer an option, she bites her way through everything she can get her teeth on. This was definitely an odd one, but enjoyable. Frankie was my favorite, especially her relationship with Noah. Esther was obviously kind of nutty, gnawing on everything, but Ruth was even weirder to me. If you like unexpected and strange books, you might enjoy it. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
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June 22, 2020When Ruth advertises she will fix your problems, she means photography issues at her three photography stores
The town of Lead, Ohio, most of whom worked at the destroyed pencil factory, misinterpret the advertising.
Ruth is astonshied by the number of people who arrive with a variety of problems, not photographic Here is my point, what Ruth hears from the townfolk mirrors what we are feeling and saying about the results of the pandemic. the comparison is amazing. yet this book was written, and sold a year before the pandenic
The book, I adored it, the strong women managing their life’s problems, and as I read I equally laughed and cried.
This woman can write a book that you do not want to end. hooefully she will give us a sequal.
The town of Lead, Ohio, most of whom worked at the destroyed pencil factory, misinterpret the advertising.
Ruth is astonshied by the number of people who arrive with a variety of problems, not photographic Here is my point, what Ruth hears from the townfolk mirrors what we are feeling and saying about the results of the pandemic. the comparison is amazing. yet this book was written, and sold a year before the pandenic
The book, I adored it, the strong women managing their life’s problems, and as I read I equally laughed and cried.
This woman can write a book that you do not want to end. hooefully she will give us a sequal.
September 17, 2020
I wish I could read it again for the first time. Yes, as many have said it is funny and quirky, but also sad, moving and thoughtful. How the characters, including the entire town, deal with loss and grief is thought-provoking and deeply touching. The timing of this book is remarkable: People find themselves without a job, purpose and life is turned upside down. Sound familiar? 2020? This author knows the craft of writing and I hope she's writing another novel.
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