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My Dark Vanessa: A Novel

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

“[An] exceedingly complex, inventive, resourceful examination of harm and power.” —The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice

“A lightning rod . . . brilliantly crafted.”—The Washington Post

Recommended by The New York Times • USA Today • Entertainment Weekly • Marie Claire • Elle • Harper's Bazaar • Newsweek • New York Post • Esquire • Real Simple • The Sunday Times The Guardian and more!

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.

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Published Feb 2, 2021

400 pages

Average rating: 7.49

587 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

faetedfantasy
Aug 18, 2024
10/10 stars
What a whirlwind of emotions to go through from one book! I started the book not knowing what it was about. It usually takes me 3-4 days to finish a book this size, but this one took me double due to its intense storyline. The writing is amazing and made me feel like I was in Vanessa’s head the whole time, disturbing but exactly what I would want from a book!
JHarris23
Jun 04, 2025
A great contemporary novel
empressrashida
Jan 23, 2025
8/10 stars
This was well paced and written incredibly thoughtfully. Although aggravating, I really liked the language that was used as the main character worked through from being manipulated into believing she was a villain to acceptance of her survivorship. No characters are likeable in this story. A range of grey.
Anonymous
Jan 07, 2025
8/10 stars
Extremely impressive debut novel. It’s really on the cusp of five stars, but there were a few pop culture references that felt like they’d date it in the future and I prefer more timeless settings.

4.5/5
coraline12
Jan 06, 2025
8/10 stars
this has disturbed me in a way i havent been disturbed in a long time
it also made me feel so many emotions i still have trouble sorting them out

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