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A review by deafchipmunk
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
5.0
I don't think I've ever cried more when I finished reading this and let it sink in that Vanessa's childhood was completely stolen from her the second Strane entered her life and she only started to move on 17 years after it happened.
A discomforting but informing and incredibly well written book about a 15 year old girl who is groomed by her english teacher(Strane), in which she believes their affair is 'true love', and is confronted with the hard truth that their relationship was far from love 17 years later during the Me Too Movement. The way manipulation is showcased throughout the story is so accurate and even scary at times at how convincing it was. There were many instances where I had to put the book down because of how disturbing and disgusting it was.
A topic which is presented that I loved was loneliness. Seeing people come and go in Vanessa's life and her having big periods of time where she had no one to rely on (discounting the fucking groomer; he definitely doesn't count) hit home so much it hurt. And it's so sad as well because one of the main reasons her english teacher groomed her in the first place was because he saw himself in her, as he was lonely like her. And although Vanessa doesn't explicitly bring up how isolated she is, her being isolated did definitely have an affect on everything that happened. It's interesting to think that if she had a friend or two when she had met Strane, things might've been different. Or maybe not.
A book anyone who is in the right mindset should try out. Such an unsettling but important read.
A discomforting but informing and incredibly well written book about a 15 year old girl who is groomed by her english teacher(Strane), in which she believes their affair is 'true love', and is confronted with the hard truth that their relationship was far from love 17 years later during the Me Too Movement. The way manipulation is showcased throughout the story is so accurate and even scary at times at how convincing it was. There were many instances where I had to put the book down because of how disturbing and disgusting it was.
A topic which is presented that I loved was loneliness. Seeing people come and go in Vanessa's life and her having big periods of time where she had no one to rely on (discounting the fucking groomer; he definitely doesn't count) hit home so much it hurt. And it's so sad as well because one of the main reasons her english teacher groomed her in the first place was because he saw himself in her, as he was lonely like her. And although Vanessa doesn't explicitly bring up how isolated she is, her being isolated did definitely have an affect on everything that happened. It's interesting to think that if she had a friend or two when she had met Strane, things might've been different. Or maybe not.
A book anyone who is in the right mindset should try out. Such an unsettling but important read.