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A review by lemelyjerry
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I highly recommend listening to "The Lolita Podcast" by Jamie Loftus before reading this book as it give so much context to reading this and helped me to pick out some of the more subtler themes throughout.
I tried, and failed, to read/listen to this book 3 times, but am very happy I finished it on my fourth attempt.
The subject matter is really difficult and Vanessa as a character is sometimes hard herself but the way the author engages with how we all internally rationalize and add meaning to events in our lives is very impactful. It delicately addresses how grooming relationships can be terrible and confusing and filled with need and longing and shame. It also did such a good job of presenting how complex Vanessa's internal world and how she understood herself both in the past and in the present.
Many scenes are very hard to get through and the spots where Vanessa describes her disgust at Stane I viscerally felt that. I found the parallel storylines really emphasized the thought patterns of Vanessa and expressed how she viewed her life through the lense of what Strane told her and how that seeped into some of her deepest believed truths and then when these truths begin to shift in the modern day storyline you can see how that takes time. There are also some beautiful aspects to the language of the book.
I tried, and failed, to read/listen to this book 3 times, but am very happy I finished it on my fourth attempt.
The subject matter is really difficult and Vanessa as a character is sometimes hard herself but the way the author engages with how we all internally rationalize and add meaning to events in our lives is very impactful. It delicately addresses how grooming relationships can be terrible and confusing and filled with need and longing and shame. It also did such a good job of presenting how complex Vanessa's internal world and how she understood herself both in the past and in the present.
Many scenes are very hard to get through and the spots where Vanessa describes her disgust at Stane I viscerally felt that. I found the parallel storylines really emphasized the thought patterns of Vanessa and expressed how she viewed her life through the lense of what Strane told her and how that seeped into some of her deepest believed truths and then when these truths begin to shift in the modern day storyline you can see how that takes time. There are also some beautiful aspects to the language of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Classism, Bullying, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm