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A review by boba_nbooks
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sexual Content Rating:* 🌶️🌶️ / 5
My Dark Vanessa is not an easy book to read, to say the least, but it tackles important topics and gives readers important questions to ponder. PLEASE read the content warnings before diving into this novel.
In 2000, Vanessa is a 15-year-old student at a boarding school, and she quickly becomes entangled in an affair with her persuasive 42-year-old English teacher, Jacob Strane that lasts years after she is his student. In 2017, the "Me Too" movement is on the rise, and when Strane is accused of sexual abuse by another former student, Vanessa is catapulted back to her past and forced to face their affair. She has to look within herself and find the truth about who she considers her first love and the man who shaped her very existence. Because who is she without Strane--the man who has been involved in her life for more than half of it?
This novel juxtaposes the past with the present showing how trauma and grief come to a head when we're forced to confront what truly happened versus how we've conflated it in our minds. Watching 15-year-old Vanessa with 42-year-old Strane was difficult. And hearing their affair from Vanessa's point of view also posed many poignant questions about agency, consent, complicity, victimhood, and bodily autonomy.
Though this novel is without a doubt a masterpiece, but it has a lot of hard-hitting subject matter. I implore you to read the content warnings and to take care of yourself. <3
My Dark Vanessa is intense and at times very difficult to read, but its subject matter is so important. This story and its value will stick with me for a long time.
*I usually use a "Spice Rating." But this novel depicts graphic scenes of rape and pedophilia, so I'm using different terminology.
My Dark Vanessa is not an easy book to read, to say the least, but it tackles important topics and gives readers important questions to ponder. PLEASE read the content warnings before diving into this novel.
In 2000, Vanessa is a 15-year-old student at a boarding school, and she quickly becomes entangled in an affair with her persuasive 42-year-old English teacher, Jacob Strane that lasts years after she is his student. In 2017, the "Me Too" movement is on the rise, and when Strane is accused of sexual abuse by another former student, Vanessa is catapulted back to her past and forced to face their affair. She has to look within herself and find the truth about who she considers her first love and the man who shaped her very existence. Because who is she without Strane--the man who has been involved in her life for more than half of it?
This novel juxtaposes the past with the present showing how trauma and grief come to a head when we're forced to confront what truly happened versus how we've conflated it in our minds. Watching 15-year-old Vanessa with 42-year-old Strane was difficult. And hearing their affair from Vanessa's point of view also posed many poignant questions about agency, consent, complicity, victimhood, and bodily autonomy.
Though this novel is without a doubt a masterpiece, but it has a lot of hard-hitting subject matter. I implore you to read the content warnings and to take care of yourself. <3
My Dark Vanessa is intense and at times very difficult to read, but its subject matter is so important. This story and its value will stick with me for a long time.
*I usually use a "Spice Rating." But this novel depicts graphic scenes of rape and pedophilia, so I'm using different terminology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Death of parent