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My Dark Vanessa
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Grace Gummer
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Written by:
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Kate Elizabeth Russell
About this listen
Entertainment Weekly's Breakout Author to Watch in 2020
"Brilliant and stunning...an absolute must read." (Gillian Flynn)
"A well-constructed package of dynamite." (Stephen King)
A most anticipated book by The New York Times • USA Today • Entertainment Weekly • Marie Claire • Elle • Harper's Bazaar • Bustle • Newsweek • New York Post • Esquire • Real Simple • The Sunday Times • The Guardian
One of the most buzzed-about debuts in years
An international sensation sold in 24 territories and counting
Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, a brilliant, all-consuming listen that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, 15-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful 42-year-old English teacher.
2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: Remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager - and who professed to worship only her - may be far different from what she has always believed?
Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.
Includes a bonus conversation with Kate Elizabeth Russell, Grace Gummer, and Jessica Williams (editor of My Dark Vanessa).
©2020 Kate Elizabeth Russell (P)2020 HarperCollins PublishersYou may also enjoy...
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What listeners say about My Dark Vanessa
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kelsi
- 2020-04-18
Good Story - A bit slow
It was a good story and tells the trauma of abuse well. But it was really drawn out and slow at times.
I thought there would be more closure in the end.
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-04-28
Trigger warning. You may heal.
This story was not unique but the book is.. It's been an experience for so many. The author tells this rich tale with so much conviction of lived experience, whether it was hers on not, it was someone's, a many someone's. There were moments that gripped me so hard I felt sick to muly stomach. I have recommended this to so many young women who've found themselves in this trap as children. It's been healing for me, and so many others.
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- C. Bergeron
- 2021-07-25
Best book I have ever listened to
This book was amazing. I visualized and felt every word. The narrator was perfect for the story. Even if you haven’t experienced what Vanessa went through you will be able to relate to her story. Read/listen to it, you will not be disappointed!
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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-07-23
Challenging listen, but highly recommended
Dark Vanessa is an uncomfortable, challenging listen that takes the listener into the shoes of a woman who was abused as a child and the consequences of the abuse. Grace did an incredible job narrating the character's voices.
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse, pedophilia, and coercion.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Sylvio
- 2021-04-03
Great story.
I really enjoyed the story. So different from what you read today and so well written.
However, I did not like the narrator at all.
I really struggled to finish this book because of it, it took me 3 months to finish this one, I would recommend this book but not as an Audible.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-09-04
Too dark
Just found this narrator to have such a monotone voice throughout the whole book...I found it hard to keep listening. The content was just not something I enjoyed.
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- J. Dionne
- 2020-03-18
Haunting
This book was beautifully written, confusing, horrific to read at times. It's haunting me. It is so complex, so conflicting. Just brilliant. I'm going to buy it in print so I can lend it to people in order to discuss and unpack. So thought provoking.
Would recommend 100% though may be too hard for some.
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1 person found this helpful
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- B
- 2021-05-09
important messages
This book was uncomfortable to listen at several times, but I think that's what makes it so critically important to listen or read. Very balanced in the validation and" this isn't right" dilemma Vanessa faces. You think the story is over after part1, but really it has just begun. Thank you Kate for pushing this love story of abuse all the way through. such an important reflection on judgment, love, mental health, manipulation, abuse of adolescents by adults, and acknowledgment that adult relationships fall into similar traps too.
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- Offroad Girl
- 2023-03-24
Amazing novel and perfect narrator
Loved the book! So many emotions run through you while listening to this. Definitely recommend!
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- Suzanne Bronkhorst
- 2021-02-10
Wow! This book is a must read.
The story is different. It is unexpected. No tidy ending and that is what makes it so impactful.
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