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A review by samarakroeger
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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
5.0
Everyone who has struggled to understand why victims of abuse/SA can be reluctant to come forward should read this book, provided that they are in an appropriate headspace to do so.
This is a hard read. I could not stomach more than a chapter or so at a time for the first half of the book because of how triggering and DARK the subject matter is. That being said, the prose is immensely readable; Kate Elizabeth Russell did an outstanding job, especially considering this is a debut. I thought it struck a perfect balance between being "beautifully written" (a description I often think is just a euphemism for "flowery") and viscerally raw. The narrative voice is so strong and so believable (yet also unreliable), and writing teen narrators that sound like actual, naive teenagers with real, (rational to them) thoughts is a feat that is nigh impossible to pull off.
I'm not typically one for quotes, but this one from the end of the book really called out to me and sums up one of the main points of the book.
This is a hard read. I could not stomach more than a chapter or so at a time for the first half of the book because of how triggering and DARK the subject matter is. That being said, the prose is immensely readable; Kate Elizabeth Russell did an outstanding job, especially considering this is a debut. I thought it struck a perfect balance between being "beautifully written" (a description I often think is just a euphemism for "flowery") and viscerally raw. The narrative voice is so strong and so believable (yet also unreliable), and writing teen narrators that sound like actual, naive teenagers with real, (rational to them) thoughts is a feat that is nigh impossible to pull off.
I'm not typically one for quotes, but this one from the end of the book really called out to me and sums up one of the main points of the book.
"The excuses we make for them [abusers] are outrageous, but they're nothing compared with the ones we make for ourselves." (360)
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, and Infidelity
If you want to know what grooming can look like and how teenage girls can fall into that trap through excessive gaslighting, manipulation, and abuse, this is the perfect book for you! A harrowing portrait of why victims of abuse/trauma can sometimes really struggle to admit that they were victims and the ongoing trauma (PTSD, general struggles with mental health and addiction, memory loss) these events have on their lives.