In light of the #metoo movement and the ongoing unravelling of so many sexual abuse cases, this is a very important story.

First I would warn potential readers that this book contains quite severe possible triggers such as rape, sexual assault, and suicide. One of those books where if you’re not in the right head space to read it, DON’T

I thought that this book was very clever- it’s a split time narrative. For half the book we are accompanying Vanessa as a teenager and experiencing her relationship with Strane- her English teacher. For the other half we follow her through her adult life fifteen years on and still being affected by these encounters with her abuser.

It’s a very difficult perspective to read because as outsiders to the situation we can clearly see that Vanessa is being awfully abused over and over. But in her world, and her version, she loved him and wanted their relationship from the very beginning.

It was particularly painful to read in parts because what Vanessa is going through is not so removed from our day to day lives. Sexual assault is such a prevalent issue and, particularly in the media, there is a lot of controversy over women coming forward.

This is a stark reminder of how damaging these experiences can be and how important it is to believe and to support women. Within the acknowledgements, this book is dedicated to all the ‘Vanessas of the world’ and I love that- I do recommend this book as a very relevant novel for the times we’re living in.