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A review by saramcaps
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I imagined the novel I wished I could have discovered alongside Lolita at fourteen, how it might have felt then to read a book that told her story rather than his. I wrote for my younger self. I didn’t try to transform her. I made myself take her seriously.
As a young lover of Lolita, this quote by the author really sums up my love for this book. We see Vanessa go through the depths of abuse and into a future misshapen around her trauma. It’s extremely well-written, truthful, deeply upsetting, and doesn’t shy away from some of the ugliest impulses you could put on paper.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Grief