Wow, Kate Elizabeth Russell wrote a powerful, uncomfortable debut that's difficult to forget. It was the wonderful talent of narrator Grace Gummer who read & portrayed Vanessa at 15 with such naïve youthfulness, and then jaded bitterness in her 30's.
To say that My Dark Vanessa is thought provoking is an understatement. It's such a scary scenario because we see how easily teenagers can fall prey to a master manipulator. Getting a glimpse into the insidious way a teacher grooms his student is a difficult lesson to take.⚠️Contains spoilers.
I wish the announcement that Strane dies didn't happen at the half way point in the book. I thought it should have been left for the end. My interest unfortunately plummeted then and I wondered, what could be left? There was a lot of repetition of Vanessa's thoughts and feelings. But, that could have been her trying to convince herself it wasn't abuse.
Oh, I need to vent about her mother! How could she NOT tell the officials on Strane?!?!!? Why would she not take her daughter home immediately from the school, and why did she let her go through with that "apology"? She knew what was going on. Ugh, Vanessa needed someone to help, and it should have been her mother.
➡️End of spoilers.
While explicit and disturbing, the raw honest way we hear Vanessa tell her troubling story makes this awesome audio.
If you've read or listened to My Dark Vanessa, what did you think about her mother's reaction / inaction?
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Until next time,
~Kara
