Grace Gummer masterfully narrates this poignant, disturbing novel set in 2017 and 2001. When the novel opens, 15-year-old Vanessa begins an affair with a charming and manipulative 42-year-old teacher at her Maine boarding school. In 2017, a former student accuses this same teacher of abuse. Gummer becomes both the teenaged Vanessa and the adult Vanessa with a deepening of her voice to depict the adult and a slightly higher, breathier voice for the girl. The listener must decide whether either Vanessa is telling the full truth about the affair—or is remembering events through the lens of trauma. Gummer’s fine, suspenseful performance of this breakthrough novel highlights the nuances that often lie beneath accusations of sexual abuse in the age of #MeToo. D.G.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
Narrated by Grace Gummer
Kate Elizabeth RussellUnabridged — 16 hours, 3 minutes
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
Narrated by Grace Gummer
Kate Elizabeth RussellUnabridged — 16 hours, 3 minutes
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Overview
A haunting and brilliant read that explores the power play between a manipulative teacher and his naïve young student and the lasting effects the affair has on both decades later. Uncomfortable, disturbing and, yet, extremely relevant, My Dark Vanessa is very much a raw take on a modern-day Lolita. The read is at times painful and infuriating, but it is without a doubt a novel you will never forget.
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 read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-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).
This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Kate Elizabeth Russell about My Dark Vanessa.
Editorial Reviews
"My Dark Vanessa is a harrowing triumph. Complex, smart, and utterly riveting from start to finish, Kate Elizabeth Russell’s debut novel cracks open assumptions and clichés, and delivers a layered, nuanced narrative that is vital for a more thorough understanding of the extent and longevity of the damage wrought by sexual abuse. Be prepared for a pit in your stomach, a lump in your throat, and reading late into the night."
This timely, riveting debut illuminates the interplay between a child’s heartbreaking confusion and the deepest perversions of power.
"A brilliant and stunning debut, My Dark Vanessa is utterly truth-rattling, humane in its clarity and chilling in its resonance. An absolute must read."
My Dark Vanessa destroyed me. This moving, ferocious story of an all-consuming relationship between a teenager and her teacher traces not just a stolen girlhood, but the aftershocks that haunt trauma survivors years into the future. Gripping, stunningly written, and important . . . I’ve been waiting for this book.
"My Dark Vanessa is a total masterpiece of tone and point of view, even more impressive for how uninvested it seems in impressing us. It's fascinating and devastating and brilliant. I loved it."
"Explosive . . . a significant addition to the necessary reassessments and conversations sparked by the #MeToo movement.
"Exquisite . . . My Dark Vanessa stands on its own as simultaneously specific and universal—about a young woman who believes she’s in a love story when she’s actually in a psychological horror film."
“My Dark Vanessa is a singular achievement—a masterpiece of tension and tone that will simultaneously grip you, horrify you, and move you. . . . With utmost sensitivity and vivid, gut-churning detail, Russell illuminates Vanessa’s struggle to see the story of her life for the tragedy it truly is. Before you start My Dark Vanessa, clear your schedule for the next few days—this . . . will utterly consume you.
As powerful as it is painful, and deserves its reputation as one of the defining books of the #MeToo era.
Gripping and unsettling . . . a bracingly uncompromising book. It will doubtless be devoured with an ache of recognition by large numbers of women. But it really ought to be read by men.”
"Exquisite . . . My Dark Vanessa stands on its own as simultaneously specific and universal—about a young woman who believes she’s in a love story when she’s actually in a psychological horror film."
Perhaps the most anticipated first novel of the year, Russell's riveting, timeline-shifting saga of the relationship between a high-school student and her teacher… is sure to spark conversation (and debate).
Taboo-shattering… A daring and deeply unsettling exploration of love, sex, loyalty, and manipulation, written in stunning prose and offering few easy answers.
A truly remarkable debut, deeply thoughtful, deeply emotional, compelling and disturbing in equal measure. I raced to the ending and then found the book lingered with me long after that last page. It is lingering still.”
Perhaps the most anticipated first novel of the year, Russell's riveting, timeline-shifting saga of the relationship between a high-school student and her teacher… is sure to spark conversation (and debate).
Taboo-shattering… A daring and deeply unsettling exploration of love, sex, loyalty, and manipulation, written in stunning prose and offering few easy answers.
My Dark Vanessa destroyed me. This moving, ferocious story of an all-consuming relationship between a teenager and her teacher traces not just a stolen girlhood, but the aftershocks that haunt trauma survivors years into the future. Gripping, stunningly written, and important . . . I’ve been waiting for this book.
My Dark Vanessa is a harrowing triumph. Complex, smart, and utterly riveting from start to finish, Kate Elizabeth Russell’s debut novel cracks open assumptions and clichés, and delivers a layered, nuanced narrative that is vital for a more thorough understanding of the extent and longevity of the damage wrought by sexual abuse. Be prepared for a pit in your stomach, a lump in your throat, and reading late into the night.
A truly remarkable debut, deeply thoughtful, deeply emotional, compelling and disturbing in equal measure. I raced to the ending and then found the book lingered with me long after that last page. It is lingering still.”
My Dark Vanessa is a total masterpiece of tone and point of view, even more impressive for how uninvested it seems in impressing us. It's fascinating and devastating and brilliant. I loved it.
"Likely to totally blow up your group chat."
"At the heart of this explosive and provocative debut is the relationship between a 15-year-old girl and her 42-year-old teacher.... a timely tale."
Empathetic, incendiary, and discussable.
My Dark Vanessa is a hard story to read and a harder one to put down . . . a well-constructed package of dynamite.
“My Dark Vanessa explores the sexually-charged shadow world between desire and interruption, girlhood and womanhood, coercion and complicity. It’s breathtakingly suspenseful, like downing a flaming drink without blowing it out.
My Dark Vanessa is an unsettling and thought-provoking marvel. I was captivated by the brutal honesty of the emotion and the stark beauty of the writing. This one will stay with me forever.
Grace Gummer masterfully narrates this poignant, disturbing novel set in 2017 and 2001. When the novel opens, 15-year-old Vanessa begins an affair with a charming and manipulative 42-year-old teacher at her Maine boarding school. In 2017, a former student accuses this same teacher of abuse. Gummer becomes both the teenaged Vanessa and the adult Vanessa with a deepening of her voice to depict the adult and a slightly higher, breathier voice for the girl. The listener must decide whether either Vanessa is telling the full truth about the affair—or is remembering events through the lens of trauma. Gummer’s fine, suspenseful performance of this breakthrough novel highlights the nuances that often lie beneath accusations of sexual abuse in the age of #MeToo. D.G.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170268733 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 03/10/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 399,996 |
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