'Nothing but Blackened Teeth' by Cassandra Khaw - Review

by Samantha Shawking

*Reposted from my Instagram.

My second read of 2022 was ‘Nothing but Blackened Teeth’ by Cassandra Khaw. The novella tells the story of five "friends" (it's complicated) staying the night in an abandoned Heian-Era mansion to celebrate a wedding. However, the ghost of a bride, rumored to be buried alive in the house, also resides there. Her face is void of all features except for a red mouth and black teeth. And the ghost bride and a whole host of yokai living in the walls have other, sinister plans for the friend group.

I DEVOURED this book. Khaw's writing is so poetic and I'm a sucker for beautiful writing. The tension builds at a smooth, but break-neck pace and the entire story is deeply creepy and haunting. And, when you read between the lines, ‘Nothing but Blackened Teeth’ tells a story of the psychological strain between a mentally scarred woman and a group of people that aren't the true friends they claim to be. It's a story of broken relationships, jealousy, secrets, and the hostility that results when you throw those feelings together in a creepy, abandoned house. The story is reminiscent of Poe's short stories, The Haunting of Hill House, and a Head Full of Ghosts.

I'll stop before I write an entire essay. I might anyway because I loved analyzing this book.

5 stars.