My Dark and Stormy Vanessa

Ranked one of Teghann’s top books of 2020!

Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming to my first real review! I started off with a book I’ve been really looking forward to reading — My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. For this novel, I chose to make a Dark and Stormy (mainly for the pun). So, I hope you enjoy the My Dark and Stormy Vanessa recipe and review.

For the My Dark and Stormy Vanessa you will need the following ingredients:

Like I said above, I originally chose to make a Dark and Stormy because of the pun with the title of the novel. Then, near the end of the book, Vanessa shares a Dark and Stormy with her colleague, and it seemed perfect. However, I wanted to make it even more special and further connect it to My Dark Vanessa. So, inspired by the motif of Vanessa’s hair being the colour of red maple leaves, I decided to add maple syrup to my recipe. I’m also not the biggest fan of dark rum, so the maple syrup made it a little sweeter for me!

Synopsis

My Dark Vanessa is a thought-provoking story about an affair between a 15-year-old girl and her manipulative 42-year-old teacher. Alternating between the early 2000s and 2017, the titular Vanessa tells her tale. In 2000 she begins the 10th grade, and enters Jacob Strane’s English class. From that moment on, he consumes her life. When we see Vanessa in 2017 it’s the height of the #metoo movement, and she is struggling to accept that her experience wasn’t consensual. This powerful, psychological read stands out because of how it highlights the struggles so many women have faced.

Review

“Because even if I sometimes use the word abuse to describe certain things that were done to me, in someone else’s mouth the word turns ugly and absolute.”

My Dark Vanessa was a genuinely difficult novel to read at times. It was beautifully written, but aspects of the novel hit home for me as I’m sure they did for many other women who read this. The novel discusses the all too familiar naïveté of being 15. It also shines a light on the complex topics of gaslighting and emotional abuse. Despite the traumatic events described throughout the novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Russell’s depiction of assault was haunting and raw in its emotional and expressive descriptions. Her masterful prose perfectly, and disturbingly, brings you in to make you feel so connected to Vanessa it’s as if you’re living it yourself.

Vanessa is also a perfect unreliable narrator, which I always enjoy. She believes everything she’s saying and she overlays the horrors she’s describing with a dark, romantic tone. This adds to why it’s difficult to read. As a reader you see it for what it is, and the creepiness of the “love story” perception makes you feel like cringing (which I literally had to do a few times). This complexity of emotions in the reading is one of the main reasons I enjoyed the novel. It is the first book in a while that has made me feel and question so much.

My biggest struggle with this book was my attitude towards Vanessa. When depicted as a youth, my heart ached for her. I related deeply to 15-year-old Vanessa, and I just wanted to protect her. But, though she’s meant to be this way to show her mental struggles, older Vanessa could be quite frustrating. While people process trauma differently, there were a few things adult Vanessa did that turned me off from her. For example, when she sees an older man treating her 17-year-old coworker inappropriately Vanessa thinks the girl “should know how to handle this” and refuses to help. I had a hard time with this aspect of Vanessa’s character as she puts down other women and doesn’t believe their allegations of abuse.

Without saying spoilers, the ending of the novel truly touched me. It made the story feel complete and, though I sobbed, it left me content. On the whole, I would definitely recommend this novel. Despite it’s unsettling nature, My Dark Vanessa masterfully handles the intense topics of sexual assault, mental health, and coming forward against an abuser. Although I wasn’t always pleased with Vanessa’s thoughts and actions, I unwaveringly believed them and felt transported into her world. This marks the sign of a good novel to me! So, I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in fiction that connects to the real world problems of today.

My Rating:

Thanks for reading! f you’re interested in learning more about me go to my previous post, Get Ready for Books and Booze, or go to the About Me page.

Teghann

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