My Dark Vanessa

A Novel

By: Kate Elizabeth Russell

Narrated by: Grace Gummer

An AudioFile Earphones Award, narrated by Grace Gummer. Includes a bonus conversation with author Kate Elizabeth Russell, Grace Gummer, and Jessica Williams (editor of My Dark Vanessa).

“Brilliant and stunning . . . an absolute must read.” – GILLIAN FLYNN

“A well-constructed package of dynamite.” – STEPHEN KING

ONE OF THE MOST BUZZED ABOUT DEBUTS IN YEARS

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.

This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl
Podcast, featuring an interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell about My Dark
Vanessa.

Timely

I was almost 6 when my innocents was taken by my stepfather. This story is very different from mine yet much the same. Many references rang true. I was frequently struck by things in the narrative that were revalational, . moments. The author takes you there and reveals the angst abuseres live with; the blame, the rationalizing and the denials. Its all there!


  
I was almost 6 when my innocents was taken by my stepfather. This story is very different from mine yet much the same. Many references rang true. I was frequently struck by things in the narrative that were revalational, . moments. The author takes you there and reveals the angst abuseres live with; the blame, the rationalizing and the denials. Its all there!


  

Extremely painful to read

I don’t know how to review this book because it was so difficult to listen to. I wasn’t able to finish the book and encourage others to do a little research before buying. Topic is important and compelling but the book may be too difficult for some.

disturbing

I had a hard time finishing this book. as a survivor I found this story disturbing and triggering. The lead character denies her abuse and never really gets to a place of understanding grooming behavior of her abuser. I would not recommend this book to anyone who has been sexually abused

Haunting

So well written and performed. A hauntingly beautiful book about a very heavy topic. Many emotions evoked.

I’m not sure

I did not think I would love this book so much it’s an amazing book 10/10 recommendations