Men have always been attracted to young women, who possess a glow that their mothers have possibly lost. Girls are more vulnerable and impressionable and are more likely to believe what they are told. Their passionate desire to be loved, combined with their conviction that no one understands them, makes them uniquely vulnerable to predators. But there is another side to the story. Girls do not passively wait to be seduced or exploited. They thrill in actively testing their own sexual power and often put themselves in physical and emotional danger with no understanding of the long-term consequences of relationships where the power dynamic leaves them exposed to exploitation and abuse.
It is about Neveah, a bright fifteen-year-old girl who moonlights as a digital marketing freelancer. She poses as an independent woman of twenty-two and embarks on an affair with Giles, a middle-aged married man with a troubled home life. Neveah is neglected by both parents and is convinced she is ready for an adult relationship.
The principal theme of the book is the early sexualization of young girls and society’s collusion in this process, often by the girls themselves. The novel also examines toxic masculinity and the pernicious influence of pornography, which distorts perceptions of healthy sexual relationships, portrays deviant and dangerous sexual practices as normal, and sets unrealistic standards of feminine beauty, which young girls struggle to live up to.
My Dark Vanessa is a highly compelling, if disturbing read. I loved the
book as I related so closely to the idealistic fifteen-year-old
Vanessa, who is groomed by her English teacher, Jacob Strane, believing
him to be the love of her life.
The book opens to Vanessa at thirty-two,
leading a lonely and unfulfilling life in a dead-end job at the
beginning of the #MeToo era, when other girls come forward to accuse
Strane. She finds herself torn: how can she do anything but defend him?
Otherwise, she would have to admit to herself that their great love has
been a great lie.
An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD
'A package of dynamite' Stephen King
'Powerful, compulsive, brilliant' Marian Keyes
An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher
ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER
Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.
She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.…
It’s a very clever, very funny novella about a talented literary editor,
Quin, told alternately in his own voice and by a long-term friend of
his, Margot.
Margot defends and normalises his behaviour towards women
until she is forced to reassess his actions in the light of numerous
accusations, all of which fall short of actual assault or rape, sex, or
even touching. Is he an abuser? Or is he just a playful, overgrown
manchild who thrives on emotionally intense and intimate friendships
with women?
I loved the book because it refuses to answer the question
definitively.
It’s a painfully
difficult but beautifully poetic read about an Irish girl from a
miserably dysfunctional family with a difficult, abusive, ranting mother
and a disabled older brother.
After she is sexually abused by her uncle, the girl allows herself to be
used by the boys at school and begins a series of loveless encounters,
as if determined to prove how worthless she is. At college, she
continues her career of joyless, destructive promiscuity.
The book is
steeped in guilt and shame, redeemed only by the depictions of pure love
she has for her brother. Like a poem or a lyrical poetry performance,
the novel does truly incredible things with language.
A nonfiction book that tells the story of three unrelated women and
their unique but universal struggles; I loved it because of the author’s
incredible talent for articulating the everyday lived experience of
being female, the subtle and overt judgments, and the fact that women
are held to different standards, even by other women.
"‘Even when women
fight back, they must do it correctly. They must cry the right amount
and look pretty but not hot." Many times while reading, I recognised
myself, my sister, my mother, and my friends.
All three stories are highly
engaging, but the truly compelling story is Maggie’s, a troubled girl
from a difficult family who is preyed upon by her teacher, a married man
with a family. The subsequent effect on her life is just devastating
(remember, folks: this is nonfiction.)
The International No. 1 Bestseller
A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick
'Cuts to the heart of who we are' Sunday Times
'A book that begs discussion' Vanity Fair
All Lina wanted was to be desired. How did she end up in a marriage with two children and a husband who wouldn't touch her?
All Maggie wanted was to be understood. How did she end up in a relationship with her teacher and then in court, a hated pariah in her small town?
All Sloane wanted was to be admired. How did she end up a sexual object…
I have always shied away from reading Lolita, not having the slightest
desire to read about a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession with a
twelve-year-old. Still, I could not compile a list of books about girls in
inappropriate relationships without including this novel, the most
famous book of all time on the subject.
I now fully appreciate why it
has stood the test of time. I loved the dark comedy, often tipping into farce, the fabulous turns of phrase, the elaborate yet pin-sharp descriptions, and the blending of such sinister subject matter with the banalities of American post-war consumerism. Humbert Humbert is a truly
deviant, disgustingly loathsome paedophile, but he’s funny and clever,
and no one hates him more than he hates himself.
'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of my tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.'
Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged, frustrated college professor. In love with his landlady's twelve-year-old daughter Lolita, he'll do anything to possess her. Unable and unwilling to stop himself, he is prepared to commit any crime to get what he wants.
Is he in love or insane? A silver-tongued poet or a pervert? A tortured soul or a monster? Or is he all…
I grew up in Green Bay and my dad was the official scorer for the Packers, so I was immersed in pro football history even as a child. During my careers as a newspaper feature writer and editor and as an advertising copywriter, I also became a sports historian. My magnum opus was “The Encyclopedia of North American Sports History,” 650,000 words. But my favorite by far is my biography of Johnny Blood. I was 12 or 13 when I decided I wanted to write it, 33 when I began working on it, 38 when I finished it, and 78 when it was finally published.
From Kirkus Reviews: "This debut short-story collection paints the wistful life of a newspaper journalist as seen through his sexual and romantic encounters...
Throughout, Hickok writes in an assured style, pulling readers along. The narrow sexual focus results in a distorted picture, yet other aspects of Art's life emerge at the edges—his intelligence, his career as a journalist, and even the sincerity with which he gives in to his male urges and construes sex as love...
Subdued yet alluring; a pensive reflection on the male psyche."
Love, Sex, and Other Calamities: 15 Stories and a Poem by Ralph Hickok
A man arrives in a new city, hoping to start a new life, but he’s still haunted by memories of past loves… A 12-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl have a brief romantic encounter when their families are vacationing in neighboring lakeside cottages… Two teenagers enjoy sexual experimentation when she babysits for her little brother while her parents are out drinking… A high school boy has a crush on an older woman who identifies with Molly Bloom… A college freshman falls in love with a high school freshman and is amazed at the depths of her passion… A guy wins…
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