Existing In a Body: An Exclusive Guest Post from Rachel Harrison, Author of Such Sharp Teeth, Our August Speculative Fiction Pick

What inspired you to write Such Sharp Teeth?

The idea for Such Sharp Teeth came to me in the place where most great ideas do — the shower. I was thinking about how much effort it takes to exist inside a body, to take care of our bodies, these vessels we have such little control over. The concept of control, or the lack thereof, is what led me to think of werewolves. 

It’s very lonely to exist in a body. Whatever we experience in our skin, we experience it alone. It’s isolating, and it can be downright terrifying. What a drag, right? I wanted to amplify this universal experience using the monster metaphor. I also wanted to explore both rage and vulnerability, specifically through the eyes of a fierce, confident female protagonist. What are we meant to do with our anger? Unleash it? Suppress it? And how can we be vulnerable, how can we trust and open up if we fear getting hurt?  

Such Sharp Teeth is a werewolf novel, complete with menacing full moons, howling into the night, gnarly transformations, frothing fangs… you know, that whole deal. But the book isn’t really about werewolves. It’s a book about being human. About vulnerability, rage and the struggles of having a body. About how scary it can be to move through the world when so much is out of our control.  

I was inspired to write the book because why confront these big issues and looming questions in my real, everyday life when I could do it in a fun, scary werewolf book! 

Can you talk about 5 of your favorite books about werewolves?