Picking You Out Of My Teeth by Somer Canon is a collection of dark horrors that flow between real-world terror that reads like a punch to the gut and supernatural horror that will give you goosebumps!
CW: Pregnancy, Medical Gaslighting, Domestic Abuse, Child Death, Sexual Abuse, and more.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Picking You Out Of My Teeth by Somer Canon –
Per usual with Somer’s writing, there is terrible darkness here, but many times it’s combined with something else, each pair going together as perfectly as macaroni and cheese.
My two favorites from this collection were both quieter horror tales. I absolutely loved:
- Walk Softly Among My Bones
- The Boneyard Grim
Here are my thoughts on each tale:
Foreword –
A wonderful intro to kick off the collection. I loved the heads-up about the tales about motherhood.
A Pretty Intense Case of Abjection –
Desperately wanting her pregnancy to be over, this woman hates everything about being pregnant. One evening, her labor takes her by surprise.
Oh, this poor woman. I immediately felt for her and being just over seven months away from my own pregnancy, this tale hit extra hard. Like her, I hated being constantly touched and didn’t find a single moment of pregnancy to be a good time. And oh gosh, her itching. As someone who had PUPPS, I felt extra terrible for her. Oh man, Somer crushes this tale with a perfect mix of everyday pregnancy and the much more extreme side effects.
Join My Club –
Escaping the house to be outside where things are safe, this boy hears a knocking. Of course, his curiosity wins out over his hesitation.
This poor kid. What a heartbreaking tale.
Stay Down, Rusty –
Trying her best after running into a series of difficult life hurdles, this woman lets her anger and grief get the best of her. But that’s not the end of her tale yet!
Ah, another super heartbreaking tale! And oh my gosh, that ending!!
Walk Softly Among My Bones –
Tasked to tear down an old house to make way for low-income housing, things don’t go as smoothly as planned. When three men die, the project lead goes out to the property herself to investigate.
What a quiet little chilling ghost story! Ugh, the grief woven into the suspense is so sad.
No Longer Human –
Working on a reality TV show, this crew member can’t help but be unsettled by the whole process. But when a big makeover is revealed, she’s even more unsure about things. Soon, she’ll learn why her alarm bells were ringing.
Oh my gosh, this was wild! The things people will do to their bodies to look “perfect” is already terrifying. But Somer has taken that to an extreme here!
Mom’s Chair –
A quick tale of a sudden loss that the main character is struggling with.
There is such good body horror in this one! The descriptions will leave you queasy! And oh gosh the Cool Whip… I did what this mom did ONE time as a kid, got sick, and still can’t think about it without getting nauseous. Haven’t had any form of whipped cream since!
Scrape –
When a woman finds out her cat brought in fleas, she’s determined to get rid of them all one way or another.
Oh, this one made me itchy. What nerve-wracking body horror!
The Boneyard Grim –
While going to a very old and forgotten graveyard, this character wants to make some charcoal rubbings. But she sees something else while there that makes her think it’s time to let the site rest.
This was so eerie and beautiful at the same time! I love the format of this one as we got to jump back into a memory to learn about what was happening in the present.
Reluctantly Home –
As the title states, this woman reluctantly makes a trip back home. Once there she learns two things that collide later in a horrible manner.
The grief horror here has many layers. As we get deeper into the tale, things only get worse.
Yank –
Waking up to realize their garden beds have been overgrown with weeds, people in this neighborhood rush to pull them before getting in trouble with their HOA. But then the first scream echoes around the area…
HOA’s are terrifying in and of themselves, but what happens here was wild! I have so many questions!! I loved this story!
Earthly Treasure –
Living in a cult, this woman struggles to stay compliant. Determined to get her and her daughter to safety, she’ll never stop trying no matter what they do to her.
Oh, the rage this one will make you feel! Every page was just dripping with horrors of the situation and each scene got darker.
My Favorite Passages from Picking You Out Of My Teeth –
The woman reached out and grasped Claudia’s stomach, as so many people did. Pregnant women feeling like their bodies were public property to touch and comment on was nothing new, and Claudia knew to expect it, but as someone who usually did not like being touched, it was nothing worth getting used to.
— A Pretty Intense Case of Abjection
Pregnancy was an unmapped level of hell that people had sugar-coated and she found that deception infuriating.
— A Pretty Intense Case of Abjection
The morning fog stayed close to the ground, thick and dense, as if during the night a blanket has been draped over the earth as it slept.
— The Boneyard Grim
The only thing more destructive to that graveyard than erosion was the short memories of the people who let it fall to such a state.
— The Boneyard Grim
My Final Thoughts on Picking You Out Of My Teeth –
I can’t say whether I picked this one up at the perfect time, or the worst time as I am still new to being a mother and many of these tales had me ready to run to my little guy for a cuddle. But either way, I thought this was such a killer collection with a great range of darkness.
Horror fans will love this one as it forces you right into the shoes of the characters within each tale!
Thanks for reading!
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