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
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.
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.
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My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
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My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170268733 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date: | 03/10/2020 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Sales rank: | 340,826 |
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