My Dark Vanessa

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.9

(13.9K)

Kate Elizabeth Russell

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Russell manages a brutal originality. . . . [an] exceedingly complex, inventive, resourceful examination of harm and power." --The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice"To call this book a 'conversation piece' or 'an important book' feels belittling . . . [it] is so much more than that. It's a lightning rod. A brilliantly crafted novel."--The Washington PostA most anticipated book by The New York Times - USA Today - Entertainment Weekly - Marie Claire - Elle - Harper's Bazaar - Bustle - Newsweek - New York Post - Esquire - Real Simple - The Sunday Times - The Guardian Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.2000. Bright, 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 reaches out to Vanessa, and 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.--Esquire, The Best Books Coming Out This Winter

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More Details:

Author

Kate Elizabeth Russell

Pages

384

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

Published Date

2020-03-10

ISBN

006294150X 9780062941503

Community ReviewsSee all

"#women #fiction #yesplease #bookrecommendations very good read "

"This is an emotionally moving and harrowing read, an intricate tale that exists during the Me Too movement where relationships between men and women are getting rocked and in some ways changed to their core. All of my many feelings toward this book happened and were built as the book flashes back and forth in time between Vanessa’s boarding school years and adult life. In Vanessa’s boarding school years, Mr. Strane, her Honors English teacher, after some time, begins to make inappropriate comments…comments that reflect he is paying her too much detailed attention, like telling her that he notices that her hair is like the color maple. Electricity jolts through Vanessa at that comment, as she feels like in a way she is being seen for the first time. Since she doesn’t connect to anyone and prefers to be by herself. She has inner turmoil that makes her feel like she is wasting her life. She tries her hand at poetry and wonders if it’s good. He tells her it’s lovely. He thinks they can understand each other, two lonely, turned kindred, souls who share a connection amidst all the darkness and ways people misunderstand them. As they also can jolt each other further into their different types of darkness. He ultimately draws her in and plays on all her deepest vulnerabilities. The prose is intimate and introspective so you really get inside Vanessa’s head and can feel the scene, how it looks, smells, is in her mind’s eye. Every moment leads to a quiet tenseness as you, the reader, feel uncomfortable because they’re getting too close, saying things they shouldn’t say, and then they’re all but wrapped up in each other and she’s being slowly manipulated so even she can’t decipher if the relationship is abuse or love. All in all, this was a gripping, thought-provoking read, which will leave an indelible mark upon me! It is distressing, uncomfortable, and vivid in more ways than one."

Gabrielle Grosbety

"4.25/5 this book is HEAVY! I think someone recommended this like a dark romance which is is NOT. This book is makes you frustrated and disappointed in adults. It made me want to scoop Vanessa up and protect her. This book deals with very tough subject matter so I would recommend checking trigger warnings before reading. My mind is still swimming since finishing this book. I hated this book and it made me sick but I couldn’t stop reading it. The ending was very open ended which I think was totally fine for this particular story but I didn’t love it because I like solid conclusions. I’m not sure I say I recommend this? I don’t know if I’d say I recommend this. It’s dark it’s thought provoking and it’s painful at times. If you want to feel those emotions this it a book for you! "

Halie V

"(unfinished) 3.6/5 - well written, i’m just not strong enough to read it through; very important but not for the faint of heart"

Ari’s Corner

"Such an eye opener. It is a dark book, hence the title but it does cover some important topics! Good read. "

Tlaine

"Very dark, realistic themes, but handled with care I haven't seen before. It took me a while to get through because of the subject matter, but is definitely a good read. Adored the ending. It felt grounded. "

Alexia Hollis

"Well written, engaging, very informative and had an interesting view on psychological impacts of abuse. Definitely look over the trigger warnings before reading but I would highly recommend. 4/5 ⭐️"

Brooklyn

"⭐️⭐️⭐️"

A Broke Book Buyer

"This was a DNF for me. While I did read the trigger warning for this, I found this one to be difficult to read and decided it wasn’t for me. Powerful, emotional, but also hard to read. "