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My Dark Vanessa
384 pages, 2020
fiction
1382 booksBright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher. 2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reached out to Vanessa.
Now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?
Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood.
Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell takes us on a journey into the complex world of relationships. It shows us how manipulation and power dynamics can distort the perception of love and consent. This book encourages us to look into our own relationships and question the power dynamics at play.
The book gives us a deep insight into the long-lasting effects of trauma. Vanessa, the protagonist, struggles with her past throughout her life. This book encourages us to research more about trauma and its impact on mental health.
My Dark Vanessa emphasizes the importance of speaking out against abuse. Vanessa's silence and denial are a significant part of her struggle. This book encourages us to find our voice and stand up against any form of abuse.
Russell's book shows us how manipulation can distort reality. Vanessa's teacher manipulates her into believing their relationship is consensual. This book encourages us to check for signs of manipulation in our relationships and to stand up against it.
The book explores Vanessa's struggle to accept her past. She denies her trauma and justifies her abuser's actions. This book encourages us to see the importance of acceptance in the healing process.
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My Dark Vanessa is a hard story to read and a harder one to put down...a well-constructed package of dynamite.
Stephen King - Horror Fiction AuthorMy Dark Vanessa is a brilliant and stunning debut, like nothing I’ve read before. This is a powerful novel about the effects of sexual and psychological abuse.
Gillian Flynn - Thriller NovelistMy Dark Vanessa destroyed me. This book will provoke such an intensely visceral reaction, it should come with a trigger warning.
Louise O'Neill - Irish Author
