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A review by notesbynnenna
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
4.0
Thank you to HarperCollins for the free copy!
Wow, this story is supremely messed up. My Dark Vanessa is about a relationship between a forty-two year-old teacher and his fifteen year-old student. The book flashes back between the past and the present, and is told from Vanessa's perspective. As the story progresses, you can see how their relationship (his abuse) altered the course of her life.
In terms of subject matter, it's a tough book to read. The teacher character, Strane, made me so so angry. And I felt so so sad for Vanessa for what happened to her, how so many people failed her, and the pain she's had to live with for most of her life. The author comments on how society treats women that come forward with stories of sexual abuse, how schools protect abusers, and how victims of abuse continue to suffer long after the abuse has ended.
I thought it was well-written and Russell's writing really pulled me into the story. As I was reading articles after I finished the book, I learned that she's had her own personal experiences with sexual abuse, and she drew upon those when writing this book. Vanessa is such a well-developed character, and her confusion and emotions around the relationship felt honest.
I was also reading about the controversy with this book, which has been brought up in conjunction with the American Dirt situation. I've only read a couple articles, and want to continue educating myself on the issues that people have raised with this book. One takeaway so far and an important discussion to be had is about the double standards in the publishing industry when it comes to stories by white people and stories by writers of color, and which stories are allowed to be told and published and marketed.
There's so much to discuss in this book (and about this book) and I want to get into it, but I don't want to give any spoilers, so if you've read it, talk to me in the comments below.
Wow, this story is supremely messed up. My Dark Vanessa is about a relationship between a forty-two year-old teacher and his fifteen year-old student. The book flashes back between the past and the present, and is told from Vanessa's perspective. As the story progresses, you can see how their relationship (his abuse) altered the course of her life.
In terms of subject matter, it's a tough book to read. The teacher character, Strane, made me so so angry. And I felt so so sad for Vanessa for what happened to her, how so many people failed her, and the pain she's had to live with for most of her life. The author comments on how society treats women that come forward with stories of sexual abuse, how schools protect abusers, and how victims of abuse continue to suffer long after the abuse has ended.
I thought it was well-written and Russell's writing really pulled me into the story. As I was reading articles after I finished the book, I learned that she's had her own personal experiences with sexual abuse, and she drew upon those when writing this book. Vanessa is such a well-developed character, and her confusion and emotions around the relationship felt honest.
I was also reading about the controversy with this book, which has been brought up in conjunction with the American Dirt situation. I've only read a couple articles, and want to continue educating myself on the issues that people have raised with this book. One takeaway so far and an important discussion to be had is about the double standards in the publishing industry when it comes to stories by white people and stories by writers of color, and which stories are allowed to be told and published and marketed.
There's so much to discuss in this book (and about this book) and I want to get into it, but I don't want to give any spoilers, so if you've read it, talk to me in the comments below.