springcatalyst 's review for:

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

4.5

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Went in skeptical because of the world's worst title, but maybe that's the point considering the clumsy and poor but effective overromanticism that Strane does to get at Vanessa.  Physically painful to read.  Really good flawed/imperfect abuse victim and really frustrating lack of support from external sources that should have intervened.  At first I criticized the lackluster descriptions- you're just listing things and calling it a scene- but halfway through and I think maybe that's also the point, in order to show her disconnect but simultaneous hypervigilance.  The nonchronological order serves both to reveal information in an interesting way but also to give you a fucking break from the 2001 scenes because.  God.