Release Date: January 28, 2020

Vanessa Wye was a student at a  prestigious boarding school. When she was fifteen, she became romantically involved with her forty-two-year-old English teacher, Jacob Strane. She formed a deep connection with Jacob who gave her extra attention and books to read, including the aptly titled ”Lolita”. Vanessa was vulnerable and lonely after fighting with her best friend and the timing was perfect for someone to step into the void.

Throughout the years Vanessa has maintained contact with Jacob as she fondly considers him her first love. At age thirty-two, her world unravels when a former student of Strane’s, goes public about a series of abuses. A journalist researching these events reaches out to Vanessa for her own story.  She is forced to reevaluate her own past and to consider whether her relationship with Jacob was based on love or something more sinister.

”My Dark Vanessa” is a debut novel by Kate Elizabeth Russell that is superbly written considering the storyline. It is a compelling, distressing, and haunting story that will stick with you for days.