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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
in the dream house is a singular memoir, one w/ a unique - even ingenious - structure that masterfully distills the volatile and oscillating emotions, particularly tense fear, of the abused.
machado recounts and examines her personal experience of an abusive relationship through the lens of various artistic genres, objects, things, ideas, lending each chapter an eerie, tense, sometimes detached feeling. the aforementioned is also framed against the larger historical backdrop of overlooked and non-mainstream subject of abuse in queer and lesbian relationships, and i learned a lot from the existing canon that's included in the book.
overall, a distinctive memoir on an oft under-discussed experience that's also able to critically discuss larger historical and social contexts.
machado recounts and examines her personal experience of an abusive relationship through the lens of various artistic genres, objects, things, ideas, lending each chapter an eerie, tense, sometimes detached feeling. the aforementioned is also framed against the larger historical backdrop of overlooked and non-mainstream subject of abuse in queer and lesbian relationships, and i learned a lot from the existing canon that's included in the book.
overall, a distinctive memoir on an oft under-discussed experience that's also able to critically discuss larger historical and social contexts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Cursing
Moderate: Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Infertility, Animal death, Infidelity, and Vomit
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
I'm not really sure how to write this review. On the one hand, I don't feel right in giving a lower rating to a memoir because I didn't love reading the writing style; on the other hand, I thought the writing style was kind of brilliant. Overall, I believe that Machado was incredibly brave for writing this memoir, as any victim of abuse typically deals with trauma, and that can be so difficult to put into words of any format. The fact that she is in a WLW relationship makes her abuse that much less common to read about, as many people don't even believe that abuse can occur within same-sex relationships [although it absolutely can, and does, occur]. The existence of this book is so necessary, and brings to light an important topic in our society, whether or not you identify as part of the LGBTQIAP+ community. The style of writing won't be for everyone, and there are many difficult topics within the book (which shouldn't be surprising, given what the book is about), but if you can get through those two main aspects, this is a solid read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Drug use, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Car accident, Infertility, and Rape
Additional TW/CW: brief Harry Potter reference, divorce, psychological abuse, trauma
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