Portobello Book Blog

I was really pleased to be sent a copy of Lynsey May’s debut novel Weak Teeth. It’s due to be published in hardback and ebook on 4th May. Huge thanks to Kathryn at Polygon Books for sending me a copy. I’m particularly excited about this one as Lynsey used to be on the organising team of Portobello Book Festival, which I’m also involved in, so I’ve known her for a while. The book is set in Edinburgh and I do love a book with a local setting. I’ll be reading and reviewing nearer publication time but for now, I wanted to bring the book to your attention and tell you a bit about it.

Here’s what the book is about

Ellis’s life has crumbled without warning. Her boyfriend has fallen in love with someone else, her job’s insecure, her bank account’s empty and she has a mouthful of unreliable teeth. Forced back to her childhood home, there is little in the way of comfort. Her mum is dating a younger man (a dentist, no less) and is talking of selling the house, her sister, Lana, is furious all the time, and a distant cousin has now arrived from the States to stay with them.

During a long, hot Edinburgh summer, Ellis’s world spins out of control. She’s dogged by toothache, her ex won’t compensate her for the flat and somehow she’s found herself stalking his new lover on Facebook.

Will Ellis realise before it’s too late that the bite she was born with is worth preserving?

If you like the sound of this book as much as I do, it is available to pre-order now.
You’ll find more info on the Polygon website here: Weak Teeth.

About the Author

Lynsey May lives, loves and writes in Edinburgh. She won first place in the Fresh Ink novel contest in 2020, a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2013, a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2015 and a spot as Cove Park’s Emerging Scottish Writer in 2016. Her short fiction has been published in various journals and anthologies, including The Stinging Fly, Gutter, New Writing Scotland and Banshee. Weak Teeth is her first novel.