Weird Book Review: Valeria Luiselli's The Story of My Teeth

Some books find us at the right time and place. Encountering an important story or body of work can be electrifying, invigorating, even life-changing. I’ve had a lifelong obsession with teeth and bones and other oddities, so when I found Valeria Luiselli’s The Story of My Teeth at a used bookstore in Anacortes, WA, the union felt fated. 

The Story of My Teeth follows the adventures of Gustavo (Highway) Sánchez, an auctioneer who claims to sell the teeth of historical figures. As an auctioneer, Highway takes storytelling to new creative levels, weaving grand tales that bring in high bids for varied, notorious specimens. Highway uses his auctioneering income and connections to pursue his passion for collecting, and at one point, our eccentric hero purchases the supposed teeth of Marilyn Monroe to replace his own. Highway’s adventures and the story’s bizarre premise stop feeling odd so early on that it’s easy to forget this book is even an experiment. 

Luiselli displays enviable experimental writing chops. This bizarre novel is broken into seven sections that Luiselli refers to as books: The Story, The Hyperbolics, The Parabolics, The Circulars, The Allegorics, The Elliptics, and The Chronologic. Each book explores abstract themes of storytelling and its role in art, intertwining theory and social commentary throughout in a seamless, entertaining blend of weirdness. Peppered throughout the book are Highway’s carefully crafted auction lot descriptions.

HYPERBOLIC LOT NO. 8

Some teeth are tormented. Such is the case of this one, the property of Mrs, Virginia Woolf. When she was just thirty years old, a psychiatrist posited the theory that her emotional ills were due to an excess of bacteria around the roots of her teeth. He decided to extract the three most seriously affected ones. Nothing changed. During the course of her life, several more teeth were extracted, but it made no difference. None at all, rien de rien. Mrs. Woolf died by her own hand, with many false teeth in her oral cavity. Her acquaintances only ever saw her smile at her funeral. It’s said that, lying dead in her half-open coffin in the center of the living room, her lips were spread in a smile that lit up her sharp, intelligent features. Who will offer 8,000 pesos for this tortured tooth? Anyone?

Contributing to the book’s unique origins, Luiselli collaborated with workers from Jumex, a juice factory in Mexico City, to complete the novel, soliciting feedback and comments chapter by chapter. Throughout this complex yet accessible book, nested stories, a grand celebration of art, and myriad teeth abound. Luiselli presents themes of collecting, consumerism, and storytelling alongside vivid, unforgettable characters. While the experimental quality renders the novel challenging at times, overall, The Story of My Teeth is a highly rewarding read. Colorful and poignant, I highly recommend this book to connoisseurs of experimental fiction. Readers new to experimental works will find the novel surprisingly accessible and engrossing.

Weeks after reading The Story of My Teeth, I still find myself daydreaming about teeth and the strange souvenirs we collect in this life. I’ve come to consider Highway a kindred spirit. One I think of often when I brush my teeth, pick up bones in the forest, or pull teeth from dead things I happen upon.

The Story of My Teeth (2013) is Mexico City-born author Valeria Luiselli’s second novel. Originally written in Spanish, the book has been translated by Christina MacSweeney. Luiselli’s fiction and essays have been translated into many languages and have appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Granta, and McSweeney’s, among other publications. The Story of My Teeth was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Best Translated Book Award. The novel also won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Fiction, and Luiselli was awarded the Premio Metropolis Azul in Montreal, Quebec.

Find a copy at your local library or independent bookstore!