Teeth

by Hugh Gallagher

With roots in the brewing youth scene of the 1990's, Hugh Gallagher's debut novel tracks a young man's search for self through the scattered shards of a culture in flux. Neil is a dentally challenged, reluctantly hip downtown scribe whose life's work is "Dusted, " the 'zine that once earned him the title of New Jack Poet Warrior. But when the mag folds, Neil is left with an aching mouth and the realization that the icons of his time are either dying young, cashing in or dropping out. It's a time of reckoning— the perfect moment to cancel dental appointments and take off on a drift through the global ghetto. From the gritty grind of New York to the dark glitter of Hollywood, through the tropical wilds of Indonesia and the crumbling squats of East London, Neil embarks on a soulful search for a woman to love and a place to call home. But answers will remain elusive until the roaming writer tests both his friends and his beliefs, and commits to a plan to make peace with his teeth.With deft insight, sly humor, and dazzling prose, Hugh Gallagher captures the conflict of finding one's way in a culture that mocks ambition while craving celebrity. At once a saddening chronicle of childhood's end and an epic dental saga through a world of possible futures, "Teeth" is a touching resonant anthem for all those truly hungry for a solid bite out of life.

Genres: Fiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

i get that this is satire. that said, i was holding on in a perverse need to see how cringe-inducing this was going to get. i will say the parts that took place in indonesia and london were not as painful. but jesus. nile rivers? really? that's just fucking laziness. maybe i am angry [and old:] but i just wanted the dude to hurry up and grow the fuck up. get a real fucking job. now get off my lawn!

[Sydne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gallagher is hilarious when it comes to Hu Brown Shu and Von Von Von.

This book is pretty serious, though.

Still sort of in the process of reading it.

Got it for Christmas a year back, and I'm glad I have it.

It's fantastic in a thousand ways hard to describe.


I suggest going and reading it.

[Fraemone · Rating 2 out of 5]

hate to say it but it sounded like it was written by a teenager -- and not a very grown-up one at that. kinda pretentious and vacant and trite altho the spin on teeth could've been potentially interesting

[Riv · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretentious

[Matt Miklos · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the dust jacket: "Finally, the dental masterpiece we've all been waiting for." -Gore Vidal

Says it all, really.

[Mightyshyguy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago maybe when I was in middle school.Still, parts of this book hasn't left my mind.

[Dustinorintalley · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK book, weak characters and dialogue.

[Chanel Earl]

I was reading this book and Marilynne Robinson's When I Was a Child I Read Books at the same time. Robinson writes, "It is my good fortune to work with many gifted young writers. They are estimable people. . . .A pretty large percentage of these fine young spirits come to me convinced that if their writing is not sensationalistic enough, it will never be published, or if it is published, it will never be read." She argues that this idea isn't true, and I happen to agree with her.

Well, reading her book alongside Teeth, just made it look like the stuff I often read in my own creative writing classes. It is hip and edgy and apathetic. I was really looking forward to the dental-inspired plot, but I couldn't handle the cynicism.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this excellent novel, currently anti-famous in NYC as a faux-Belgian pop star from Antwerp named Von Von Von, let me interview him for the Gut and even sent a thank you note after it. This book has one of my all time favorite plot-enhancing metaphors (so far). And I read a lot.

For my interview with the author, click this link: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...

[Ketan Shah]

A hip and media savvy tale of a young man in search of himself.Some of the descriptions of the protaganist's dental problems are pretty stomach churning.Interesting reading,but the ending is an anticlimax ,and you're left feeling that you never quite get under the protaganist's skin. Similar in style and plot to Chuck Pahlaniuk's work.If you're looking for something similar ,but in a lighter vein,you may enjoy Peter Farrelly's The Comedy Writer and Kyle Smith's Love Monkey. You may also enjoy Douglas Coupland's work.

[Jaymes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book 20 or so years ago. It’s a wonderful satire of my Gen X punk roots. There is some serious undertone of wisdom, but buried under a thick paste of not-so-veiled, self-deprecating fun making at a generation only an insider can laugh at fully.

The kindle version I most recently read was rife with typos and bad editing, as if an poorly trained AI had listened someone read it and did its very best to translate it to text. Such a bummer since the writing is so, SO very good otherwise. I don’t remember having that issue when I read the paperback so long ago.

[AmberBug com* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great story of self discovery through the eyes of a compulsive punk. Funny, the main character wasn't necessarily like-able but you do grow attached to him. I always find it interesting when I don't particularly like the main character as a person but more as who he is for the story and how he makes the story real. The plot is slightly weak but it's the underlying epic tooth dilemma that ties it altogether.

[corine · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this book in 10 hours straight... i knew the author, he's a good soul - hope you're still writing... i met him as von von von and grown to know him as Hugh... sorry i was being stubborn when you needed someone.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is for the daring, darling.

It's a rare book that can have me rolling around on a couch, laughing til I cry, but this one did it.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny book about pop-culture and how it influences one writer who has a bad set of chompers.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

hysterical!! i've recently reread it

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming of age tale. Most, of an alternate persuasion, will identify with this one.