Kate Elizabeth Russell (born 1984) is an American author. Her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''My Dark Vanessa'', was published in 2020 and became a national bestseller.

Biography

Russell was raised in the town of

Clifton, Maine Clifton is a New England town, town in Penobscot County, Maine, Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 840 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Bangor, Maine, Bangor Metropolitan Statistical Area. G ...

, attending

John Bapst Memorial High School John Bapst Memorial High School is a private, independent, college preparatory high school in Bangor, Maine, United States. It serves approximately 500 ninth through twelfth grade students from 50 different communities in the region. The ...

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

. She subsequently studied as an undergraduate at the

University of Maine at Farmington The University of Maine at Farmington (UMaine Farmington or UMF) is a public liberal arts college in Farmington, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. History ...

, earning a B.F.A. in creative writing in 2006, and went on to earn an M.F.A. from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and a Ph.D. in creative writing from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

''My Dark Vanessa''

Russell's first novel offers a fictional account of a traumatic sexual relationship between its protagonist, Vanessa Wye, and Jacob Strane. Wye is 15 years old and a lonely student at boarding school when Strane, her 42-year-old English teacher, begins grooming her for a sexual relationship which will come to cast an appalling shadow over her life. The novel is a

first-person narrative A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-teller, ...

, jumping forward and backward in time amongst 2000, 2007, and 2017, with this last year affording Russell the social context of the

Me Too movement #MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...

. It is implied that Vanessa is, at least in part, an

unreliable narrator An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in fiction and film, and range from children to mature characters. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in ''The Rhetoric of Fiction''. While unrel ...

owing to her reluctance to see herself as a victim or Strane as a predator. ''My Dark Vanessa'' was a national bestseller. It was selected for translation and publication in 22 countries, and optioned for the screen. Reviewed positively in a number of publications, ''My Dark Vanessa'' brought Russell into a public conversation regarding the novel's treatment of abusive sexual relationships, as well as an individual's right to privacy regarding past trauma. Russell was shortlisted for the 2021

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

for ''My Dark Vanessa''.

Controversy

''My Dark Vanessa'' occasioned pre-publication controversy when author Wendy C. Ortiz complained that Russell's novel had received different support from that given to Ortiz's memoir concerning a relationship with her 8th grade English teacher. Ortiz further alleged that ''My Dark Vanessa'', which she had not read, possessed 'eerie story similarities' to her memoir. As was reported by the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'', 'Reviewers who looked at both books saw no evidence of plagiarism.' Nevertheless, in response to social media comments, and in the wake of the controversy over ''

American Dirt ''American Dirt'' is a 2020 novel by American author Jeanine Cummins, published by Flatiron Books. The book is about a Mexican bookseller who is forced to flee as an illegal immigrant to the United States, along with her son, after her journalist ...

'',

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

, who had originally tapped ''My Dark Vanessa'' as a selection for her influential Book Club, rescinded the selection. As a result of the accusations of plagiarism and appropriation, Russell made a public statement disclosing that ''My Dark Vanessa'' had been inspired by her own experiences with sexual abuse as a teenager.

Bibliography

*''My Dark Vanessa'' (2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Kate Elizabeth 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Maine 1984 births Living people 21st-century American novelists People from Penobscot County, Maine University of Kansas alumni Indiana University alumni American women novelists University of Maine at Farmington alumni