
My Dark Vanessa
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Grace Gummer
About this listen
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 listen that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer.
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, 15-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful 42-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).
©2020 Kate Elizabeth Russell (P)2020 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Editor's Pick
A dark, absorbing Lolita for the 21st century
"The sexual relationship between a 15 year old and her decades-older teacher can only be described as the rape of a child, but an adolescent—on a passionate identity quest, informed by literature and a culture that relentlessly sexualizes girls—doesn’t think of herself as a child, does she? Kate Elizabeth Russell’s absorbing and disturbing debut novel nails what it might be like to be 15, desperate to feel seen and to matter—and then, with devastating realism and pacing, to be groomed and raped by a predator. "I’m going to ruin you," 42-year-old Jacob Strane tells Vanessa early in the novel, and his prediction plays out through a dual timeline that alternates with Vanessa’s adult reckoning, set in #MeToo-era 2017. With a necessary trigger warning for sexual violence and child abuse, My Dark Vanessa provides visceral nuance to the consent conversation as well as an effective contemporary response to Lolita (a publishing trendlet of late). Narrator Grace Gummer, known for her role in Mr. Robot and as the daughter of Meryl Streep, sounds both tough and achingly vulnerable in an unforgettable performance. She embodies the character so well that, combined with Russell’s masterful prose, Vanessa feels deeply real in a way that’s impossible to shake. I hope she’s doing OK."—Kat J., Audible Editor
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Fifteen years after the events of Black Water Rising, Jay Porter is struggling to cope with catastrophic changes in his personal life and the disintegration of his environmental law practice. His victory against Cole Oil is still the crown jewel of his career, even if he hasn't yet seen a dime thanks to appeals. But time has taken its toll. Tired and restless, he's ready to quit.
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An Author You Need to Know
- By L. O. Pardue on 05-18-15
By: Attica Locke
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The Chemist
- By: Stephenie Meyer
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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She used to work for the US government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning. Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.
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Listened all night!
- By bebe on 06-04-17
By: Stephenie Meyer
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The Enlightenment of Bees
- By: Rachel Linden
- Narrated by: Madison Lawrence
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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At 26, apprentice baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, a job baking at the Butter Emporium, and her first love - her boyfriend, Ethan - by her side. But when Ethan declares he “needs some space”, Mia’s carefully planned future crumbles. Feeling adrift, Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on a humanitarian trip around the world funded by a reclusive billionaire.
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Very cheesy
- By Annon on 10-07-19
By: Rachel Linden
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Rare Objects
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Tessaro
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Maeve Fanning is a first-generation Irish immigrant born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston's North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and as headstrong as her red hair suggests, she's determined to better herself despite the overwhelming hardships of the Great Depression. However, Maeve also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin - a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward, leading a double life.
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I loved this book!!
- By Traci J on 08-19-17
By: Kathleen Tessaro
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The Housekeeper
- A Twisted Psychological Thriller
- By: Natalie Barelli
- Narrated by: Susie Berneis
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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When Claire sees Hannah Wilson at an exclusive Manhattan hair salon, it's like a knife slicing through barely healed scars. It may have been 10 years since Claire last saw Hannah, but she has thought of her every day, and not in a good way. So Claire does what anyone would do in her position - she stalks her. Hannah is now Mrs. Carter, living the charmed life that should have been Claire's. It's the life Claire used to have before Hannah came along and took it all away from her.
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Best Psych Thriller EVER Until the Last Two Hours
- By mercyjam317 on 01-07-20
By: Natalie Barelli
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The Night Watchman
- By: Louise Erdrich
- Narrated by: Louise Erdrich
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, DC, this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.
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Beautiful
- By Melanie on 03-09-20
By: Louise Erdrich
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One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
- A Novel
- By: Olivia Hawker
- Narrated by: Jackie Zebrowski
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn’t think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.
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Mixed review
- By Shari Ring Wolf on 11-05-19
By: Olivia Hawker
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Cassandra in Reverse
- By: Holly Smale
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now. Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.
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Great audiobook listen!
- By Jennifer on 08-27-23
By: Holly Smale
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The Ladies of the Secret Circus
- By: Constance Sayers
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder - a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day.
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Not a fan of the narrator
- By Anonymous User on 07-01-21
By: Constance Sayers
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The Woman in the Window
- A Novel
- By: A. J. Finn
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Anna Fox lives alone - a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times...and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble. And its shocking secrets are laid bare.
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An excruciating listen.
- By Debra on 01-12-18
By: A. J. Finn
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One Perfect Summer
- By: Brenda Novak
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for a genetic test, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.
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DNA Tests can Change Lives
- By KC on 04-16-20
By: Brenda Novak
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Motel Styx
- By: Michelle von Eschen, Jonathan Butcher
- Narrated by: Christian Shay
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Fueled by online trends, a shift in the American zeitgeist has led to the instatement of the Lazarus Act, legalizing the 'recreational use' of human corpses. Ellis Mercer, recently bereaved, embarks on a secret mission to America's first 'necrotel' to recover his wife's remains, before her corpse and his memory of her are desecrated by the motel’s twisted membership.
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A disgusting good time
- By Craig on 04-25-25
By: Michelle von Eschen, and others
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Chosen People
- By: Robert Whitlow
- Narrated by: Hope Hoffman
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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During a terrorist attack near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a courageous mother sacrifices her life to save her four-year-old daughter, leaving behind a grieving husband and a motherless child. Hana Abboud, a Christian Arab Israeli lawyer trained at Hebrew University, typically uses her language skills to represent international clients for an Atlanta law firm. When her boss is contacted by Jakob Brodsky, a young Jewish lawyer pursuing a lawsuit on behalf of the woman’s family under the US Anti-Terrorism laws, he calls on Hana’s expertise to take point on the case.
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Thank you Robert Whitlow
- By Amazon Customer on 12-30-18
By: Robert Whitlow
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Dragonfly
- By: Leila Meacham
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Jefferson Mays, Karissa Vacker, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of WWII, five idealistic young Americans receive a mysterious letter from the OSS, asking them if they are willing to fight for their country. The men and women from very different backgrounds - a Texan athlete with German roots, an upper-crust son of a French mother and a wealthy businessman, a dirt-poor Midwestern fly fisherman, an orphaned fashion designer, and a ravishingly beautiful female fencer - all answer the call of duty, but each for a secret reason of his or her own. They bond immediately, in a group code-named Dragonfly.
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Perfection
- By Panache on 08-14-19
By: Leila Meacham
What listeners say about My Dark Vanessa
Highly rated for:
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- Shane
- 05-26-20
It's a love hate relationship..
Oh my...I hated the premise of the story..a pedifile and abuser and his lover/victim??!! I hated what he was and what he did.... sometimes I hated his victim and sometimes I pitied her.. good luck with this one!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bruce E. Hogge
- 04-07-20
Thought provoking read
I read that Kate Russell was influenced by Lolita by Nabokov so I listened to it first. Glad I did, because it features prominently in My Dark Vanessa. The character of Vanessa is so compelling, I really cared about her and her fate as the story unrolls. I was surprised how I could see the situation from so many perspectives- the teacher, the student, the school, the parents. The narrator captured the subtle changes as the character matured from a teenager to a young woman.
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1 person found this helpful
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- KPB
- 06-30-20
Incredible
It’s a shame I can’t give it more stars- well written and the narrator delivers!!
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- LAMP
- 06-06-21
Gets a Little Long
This book was riveting to listen to. You will find yourself, if like me, getting frustrated that the main character didn't seek help earlier but more angry at the creep of the old man. I do think it got rather drawn out and kept thinking "it has to end soon."
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- melissa boyle
- 01-21-21
Amazing amazing
This was such an incredible novel. So sad and beautiful. The narrator embodied Vanessa so perfectly. Recommend this over and over
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- Leslie D.
- 10-07-20
Excellent!
I’m deeply moved by this book, and the narrator is perfect.
As someone who was sexually abused as a child, I found this book to be spot on and extremely enlightening.
Thank you so much for capturing so much of my experience and helping me make connections that I’ve not made before. It is so validating.
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- Summer Curran
- 04-21-21
Couldn't Stop Listening!
I never thought I would be writing a review for a book about an extremely inappropriate, illegal, immoral, relationship between a middle-aged teacher and a teenager but here I am! I hope my review helps you decide to use that credit! This is not my typical go-to genre so I really went out on limb and purchased this audiobook based on the reviews. Not only did I immediately get sucked into the novel but I was searching for things to do that would allow me to listen at every possible chance. "Oh we need milk? I'll run to the store!" (driving the actual speed limit while listening to it in the car then switching to an earbud in the store and back to the car again on the way home).
Yes, it is a difficult subject and some sections were a bit uncomfortable to listen to. But at the same time, the narrator did such an amazing job that it felt real, raw, and as if it could have happened to me or someone I know! You are a fly on the wall of the main character's brain and you get to see firsthand how Vanessa was groomed, how the relationship formed, and how it affected not only her but many many others years down the road. You assume that once the "abuse" is over that would be the end of the story. What else is there to say? In this novel... A LOT. One of my favorite parts occurs at the very end!
I am thankful I used my credit and took a chance on this book. I will listen to it more than once, and that rarely happens.
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- Kylee Rae Jurich
- 04-16-21
Great story & great narration.
Grace Gummer does an excellent job at narrating this story. Really happy I chose to listen to it, it made me excited for my 40 minute commute to work. You’ll hate the characters but in a good way lol
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- Tracy Gaudet
- 08-04-21
Disturbingly captivating
Such a strong and hard story to listen to so many times I was tempted to stop listening and not finish the book. I am so glad I didn’t. It was very dark and deeply disturbing to listen but it’s eye opening. This book is not for the faint of heart
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- Nancy
- 06-14-20
Great Listen
When I started to listen, I wasn't sure I'd be around for chapters 2 or 3. The reader didn't excite me at first. So glad I didn't quit. Loved the story, it's a hard listen. Reader was perfect.
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