My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD 'A package of dynamite' Stephen King ‘Powerful, compulsive, brilliant’ Marian Keyes An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher

One sentence synopsis... In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Vanessa re-evaluates a relationship with her teacher that began when she was 15 and has cast a shadow over the rest of her life.

Read it if you like... ‘A Little Life' aka you just like reading stories about people who have terrible things happen to them.

Dream casting... recycle the redheaded duo of Amy Adams and Sophia Lillis as the older and young versions of each other from 'Sharp Objects'.

I'm giving this 5 stars for how accurately it captures the ways in which we lie to ourselves, and how complex trauma is. Necessary but hard reading.

My Dark Vanessa - 4.5/5 stars

This was a really uncomfortable read, and that's what makes it so good. It tells the story of Vanessa and her struggles to battle adulthood after traumatic experiences of a child. It flips between telling the story of her teacher grooming and SA-ing her and the repercussions she now faces in adult hood. We see her deny the reality of what happened to her and it ends up with some really amazing quotes.

The author does well to make us hate the teacher character. I do worry that it make romanticise the horrors, so I think it depends on the reader

Overall, really powerful book that makes you uncomfortable when reading. Please read the trigger warnings if you want to read this anytime in the future because it is very graphic