The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonorée Fanonne Jeffers
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S BREAKOUT AUTHOR TO WATCH IN 2020
“Brilliant and stunning . . . an absolute must read.” – GILLIAN FLYNN
“A well-constructed package of dynamite.” – STEPHEN KING
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
ONE OF THE MOST BUZZED ABOUT DEBUTS IN YEARS
AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION SOLD IN 24 TERRITORIES AND COUNTING
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.
Includes a bonus conversation with Kate Elizabeth Russell, Grace Gummer, and Jessica Williams (editor of My Dark Vanessa).
This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell about My Dark Vanessa.
© 2020 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780062941534
Release date
Audiobook: 10 March 2020
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
- By
- With:
- Publisher
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S BREAKOUT AUTHOR TO WATCH IN 2020
“Brilliant and stunning . . . an absolute must read.” – GILLIAN FLYNN
“A well-constructed package of dynamite.” – STEPHEN KING
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
ONE OF THE MOST BUZZED ABOUT DEBUTS IN YEARS
AN INTERNATIONAL SENSATION SOLD IN 24 TERRITORIES AND COUNTING
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.
Includes a bonus conversation with Kate Elizabeth Russell, Grace Gummer, and Jessica Williams (editor of My Dark Vanessa).
This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell about My Dark Vanessa.
© 2020 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780062941534
Release date
Audiobook: 10 March 2020
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Ratings and reviews
Reviews at a glance
4.3
Overall rating based on 1472 ratings
Others describes this book as
Thought-provoking
Sad
Page-turner
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Most popular reviews
Showing 7 of 1472
Amy
21 Mar 2020
Beautiful writing. Amazing plot. Lolita references. Dark and disturbing. This book follows a bright fifteen year old Vanessa who becomes entangled in an affair with her charming and manipulative English teacher. The book alternates between past and present and spreads over a period of almost 17 years. She believes that she is in love with him and he manipulatively convinces her into doing whatever he wants. You can see her mental confusion. She has been convinced that she hasn't been abused and she willingly did everything. The way the psychological aspect has been explored is amazing. It has references to pop culture, lolita and me too movement.The book felt a bit stretched in the second half. It has a lot of description about abuse. So if you are triggered by it, don't pick it up. This is not a fun read or a book which will help you escape. It is deep rooted in reality and is thought provoking.It is a brilliantly written, emotional and disturbing book with an amazing audiobook.
Manaal
8 Aug 2020
SadThought-provokingScaryThe storyline was thought-provoking and depicted accurately of how sexual harassers tend to manipulate their victims. Pedophilia is an often ignored, dangerously real thing, especially in educational institutions and families where it is often interpreted to be something else. This book highlights that fine line between love and crime. The story did start to drag towards the middle, and the ending provided little closer. Good book. Important read.
Shubham
22 Feb 2024
This is a hard book to go through and it still has been handled so well you can't stop before finishing it.
Avani
18 May 2023
Nice, read at ur own risk
Ajitha
30 Jun 2023
Page-turnerConfusingInformativeGot introduced into an alien world. It was so shocking to go through all these and it was painful too. Felt pity on the parents. They have done everything possible for their child... still. A kind of lonliness engulfs the victim i think and she undergoes a self sentenced internment. No one even a friendly mother can penetrate the shadow of emotional slavery accepted by the child. A teacher should always be careful not to destroy the lives of his students at least . Great book.
Sakshi
28 Mar 2023
SadPage-turnerThought-provokingUnpredictableThis book is true to it's name...it's dark ... it's difficult and will make you uncomfortable...but nonetheless a must read
Sangam
15 Mar 2023
SadThought-provokingRomanticBeautiful narration of a masterpiece
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Language and region
English
India
