Billy is hooking up with her best friend’s crush in a flat above a betting agent in Cambridge. Her mother is constantly drunk or high, her grandmother is on her deathbed, and now her best friend is refusing to talk to her. Fifty years earlier, in July 1974 in Famagusta, Cyprus, Anna is secretly seeing a local boy who may be the one who got her pregnant. She longs to study in Cambridge, which seems impossible now, and she’s about to witness the terrifying invasion of Cyprus.
My Teeth in Your Heart is a novel that demands attention. Although the novel is set largely against the backdrop of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it is less a historical novel and more a reflection of how we are far more similar than we are different. Billy’s discovery of Anna’s diary from the summer of 1974 sends her on an exciting quest. She breaks police lines and countless rules as she attempts to piece together a forgotten history with direct impact on her own life.
While Billy’s story is told in the first person in present tense, Anna’s is in the third person past tense. This might sound jarring but is carried off masterfully by Joanna Nadin, whose prose is accessible and evocative. Be aware, however, that this novel is not always an enjoyable read. There are descriptions of violence, sexual assault, and drug use that make it unsuitable for younger readers.
Review by Anna Brennan O’Connor
My Teeth in Your Heart
Joanna Nadin
Uclan Publishing, 2024
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN: 9781916747142
