Who Would Like This Book:
My Dark Vanessa is a gut-punch of a novel that's both haunting and thought-provoking. Russell brilliantly captures the complexity of grooming, trauma, and the long shadows they cast, all through the deeply flawed, nuanced voice of Vanessa. The back-and-forth timeline gives a raw and unflinching look at self-deception, the desire for agency, and the long aftermath of abuse. If you appreciate character-driven stories that examine darker sides of human experience, complex psychological portraits, or are interested in #MeToo era storytelling with a literary bent, this book will pull you in and leave you thinking long after. Fans of contemporary fiction that tackles taboo or challenging topics will find it unforgettable.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers found My Dark Vanessa to be an extremely difficult or even triggering read due to its frank exploration of sexual abuse, grooming, and self-destruction. The explicit content and psychological intensity made parts of the novel feel disturbing and, at times, repetitive or too long for some. Others struggled with the protagonist’s refusal to see herself as a victim, frustration at her self-sabotaging choices, or simply didn't connect with the characters - finding them unlikable or the narrative style cold. If you prefer lighter reads, tidy resolutions, or avoid books with heavy trauma themes, this may not be for you.
About:
'My Dark Vanessa' by Kate Elizabeth Russell is a chilling and unsettling novel that delves into the story of a 15-year-old girl, Vanessa Wye, who falls under the spell of her much older English teacher, Mr. Strane, at a prestigious boarding school. The book explores the grooming process and manipulation tactics used by the teacher to make Vanessa feel special and in control of their relationship. As the story unfolds, it follows Vanessa into her adult life, where she grapples with the long-lasting impact of the abuse she experienced as a teenager. The narrative alternates between past and present timelines, shedding light on Vanessa's emotional turmoil and her struggle to come to terms with the true nature of her relationship with her abuser.
The author, Kate Elizabeth Russell, skillfully navigates the sensitive and disturbing subject matter of abuse and exploitation in 'My Dark Vanessa'. Through Vanessa's perspective, the readers witness the complexities of her emotional journey, her distorted self-image, and the lifelong consequences of her traumatic experiences. The book offers a profound insight into the psychological effects of such abuse, highlighting the blurred lines between consent and manipulation, and the lasting scars it leaves on the victim's psyche.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include sexual harassment, rape, pedophilia, child abuse, drug use, and suicide, making it essential for readers to approach with caution.
From The Publisher:
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"[An] exceedingly complex, inventive, resourceful examination of harm and power." -The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice
"A lightning rod . . . brilliantly crafted."-The Washington Post
A 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.
Ratings (248)
Incredible (78) | |
Loved It (78) | |
Liked It (57) | |
It Was OK (21) | |
Did Not Like (11) | |
Hated It (3) |
Reader Stats (555):
Read It (261) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (212) | |
Did Not Finish (10) | |
Not Interested (71) |
19 comment(s)
Що ж, в перервах між роботою та навчанням я нарешті домучила цю, й без того багатостраждальну, книгу. Це складна й доволі важка історія вже з перших сторінок. Вона розповідає про звичайну дівчину Ванессу, яка переходить до нової школи. У неї складні стосунки з матір'ю, нерозуміння з боку батьків, проблеми з однолітками та новими однокласниками. І тут у її житті з'являється те, що, знищить її — вчитель Джейкоб Стрейн.
Ванесса як героїня доволі складна. Вона вперта, місцями заперечує очевидне, дратує спробами переконати всіх, що те, що сталося, було щирим і взаємним. Але саме це і робить її реалістичною жертвою. Її життя — це історія виживання та постійної боротьби з травмами, які їй завдала школа, а особливо — цей вчитель. Водночас упродовж книги ми бачимо її майже нав’язливу фіксацію на "Лоліті" (одного роснявого автора) — вона шукає в цьому романі виправдання, дзеркало свого досвіду, навіть коли це шкодить її здатності критично осмислювати події власного життя.
Про Стрейна важко писати спокійно. Чоловік, який боявся клейма злочинця, але не боявся залізти під спідницю 15-річній учениці. Він роками переконував Ванессу, що це – любов, але насправді був просто педофілом, який потім намагався уникнути відповідальності. Ймовірно, саме через страх викриття він підтримував із нею контакт, маніпулював нею, аби вона мовчала. Йому бракувало сміливості знову зробити те саме з іншими ученицями, бо вже розумів, що наступного разу все може вийти назовні. Я рада, що він загинув. І хочу, щоб усі знали цей факт.
Історія подається у двох часових лініях: коли Ванесса вступає у ці стосунки, та коли вона вже доросла, і намагається осмислити те, що сталося. Проте мені здалося, що за ці 15 років вона майже не змінилася. Стрейн забрав у неї дитинство, юність, свободу та здатність довіряти іншим. Для неї він назавжди залишиться тим, хто "кохав" її — єдиним, хто, як їй здається, бачив у ній щось справжнє. І це найжахливіше.
Я довго думала й ще довго думатиму про цю книгу. Вона підіймає важкі теми: сексуальне насильство, зловживання владою, відсутність активної згоди, зловживання довірою. Це не просто художній твір, це — дзеркало травми, яку так часто суспільство не хоче бачити. І тому її варто читати. Не заради естетики. А заради розуміння.
made me too uncomfy
TW - Child Abuse
This book is the story of Vanessa we are seeing the story through her current time and then her flashbacks to boarding school. Through the current time we see Vanessa is a women broken and trying to deal with the fact that her teacher has been accused of historical sexual abuse. She goes home, gets high drinks and doesn't appear to have a stable relationship of any sort. She doesn't believe the sexual abuse of the teacher who she is still in contact with.
Through the flashbacks we see how he groomed her and abused her. She believes that she is love with him and doesn't understand the power he has. She is 15 though so us as the reader can see what is going on and how cleverily he manipulates her. She doubts everything about herself and he has convinced her that she would also be tarnished if she says anything. We also see how the other adults around her let her down. The school, her parents and other teachers.
He is still manipulating her in the present. As the book nears to the end we start seeing how she is starting to accept that she was abused.
4,75
Yikes. It’s hard not to cringe when you’re inside the head of a narrator who hates herself so thoroughly, but this novel never apologizes for making the reader cringe. This seems appropriate for a book about sexual abuse, but it’s very heavy-handed at times. There is no ambiguity or complexity here. It feels like a PSA: Rape = bad.
I wanted to like the novel at first, because the way Russell depicts Strane grooming Vanessa when they first meet, while repulsive, is imaginable. Of course a young girl is going to respond favorably to the attentions of a teacher who makes her feel smart, tells her her writing is exceptional etc. Even though the reader is disgusted, she can understand how Vanessa mistakes Strane’s behavior for love.
The chapters are split between the early 2000s when Vanessa is a teenager and 2017 when she is 32, but it is clear that the abuse never allowed her to reach normal maturity—emotionally she is is still fifteen. It seems clever at first how Strane has manipulated Vanessa into parroting the nonsense he has told her, trying to frame his sexual violence as acts of love. But this is overdone and as the novel progresses Strane becomes increasingly evil until he is some kind of master manipulator/super villain whom Vanessa continues to insist did not abuse her.
This book’s major offense is its assumption that its uncultured swine of a reader cannot understand its references or anything really without extensive explanation. Every song on the radio, every book Vanessa reads in class seems to be about kiddie rape and rather than leaving it there, Russell explains the parallels to death. Vanessa reads Titus Andronicus and because no one in the world has ever read Shakespeare, the rape of Lavinia is explained multiple times. Certainly no reader could figure out herself how Lavinia’s rapists’ cutting out her tongue mirrors Strane’s gaslighting Vanessa into being unable to identify him as an abuser. In case the reader couldn’t understand that Strane should probably not be having sex with Vanessa while she is so drunk she has just vomited and is barely conscious, Vanessa wonders to herself if she is being raped. This story could have been told in half the number of pages and would have been a better novel for it.
Holy shit. Not for me. If you want to read a more realistic book on abuse and how the abused feels ...read Gabriel Tallent's- My Absolute Darling.
The author is masterful at showing Strane’s manipulation of Vanessa and her constant denial of herself, her low self-worth. The last quarter of the book dragged a little - specifically, the tail-end of the Henry arc - and the ending felt rather abrupt.
I agree with others in that parts could have been cut. The parts from adult Vanessa’s perspective weren’t as compelling to me as those from when she was a child. Some of Strane’s dialogue, and the risks he takes, felt a bit... dramatised.
Nonetheless, a serious story skilfully and even tastefully told. I wasn’t utterly blown away by it or anything, but there are some moments that truly put you off your food. Overall, it’s worth the read. A solid 3 stars.
This book was fantastic. It was so well written and although the book doesn't end the way you expect it, it's a realistic depiction of how one deals with trauma, How one comes to terms with their trauma, and the harsh reality that being a survivor is not always black and white. I will say that this book is very triggering and is not for everyone
Literally the epitome of he’s just a guy hit him with your car, even if you bleed
6 ⭐️
This is a terrifying, horrifying, uncomfortable book. It is supposed to be uncomfortable. The most important discussions often are.
It didn’t have the ending I wanted. But I think that makes the book better.
The prose in this book is probably the most poetic and engaging writing I’ve ever read. The way Vanessa’s trauma, disassociating, and PTSD was written was powerful. Russell put into words feelings that I didn’t think could be described. You have to read the reading to understand what I mean. Everything was so visual that I felt like I was there. It was terrifying.
The pacing is perfect. Just when the segments from 2001 get too hard to stomach. We bounce back to 2017 with a small glimmer of hope on the horizon.
This book made me re-evaluate my entire high school experience. Especially “that incident” that I think a lot of people unfortunately had in their high school. It makes me feel sick.
This book is so incredibly dark and triggering that I imagine a lot of people can’t finish it. I think for the people who can, it is 100% worth it. My requirements for a 6 star book is that it is something that I will never forget and that it changes who I am as person. This book has most definitely changed my life.
My advice is NOT to read it at work because bawling your eyes out at your desk at 11:56 am on a Friday is embarrassing.
What can you read after
My Dark Vanessa?
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