Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

6 reviews

amyhasel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Heartbreaking, informative, and brilliant, with circular narrative that will just keep punching you in the gut. Thank God Carmen Maria Machado is also hilarious, or every reader would be breathless with horror. Not a love story, except maybe with herself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, and Toxic friendship

aus10england's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

jesus fking christ

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Misogyny

hexedmaiden's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

A memoir of domestic abuse told in a series of vignettes and poems. This was just so beautifully written and heartbreaking. There were moments where I saw myself in these pages and it made my heart hurt for myself and Carmen (and anyone else who could relate in anyway.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia

vigil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

everything carmen maria machado writes is breathtaking and this book is no different. if you can stomach the theme of abuse, i highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

atmreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I know I already listed the trigger warnings above, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to take those seriously. This book is dark, intense, emotional, and deals A LOT with trauma and traumatizing events. I cannot in good conscious recommend this book without telling all of you to keep in mind these trigger warnings and do what is mentally healthy for you.

I just need to say that I LOVED this book. It is incredibly well written, creatively told, and exquisitely presented. This novel is told through a series of vignettes, each one focusing on a different event told through the lense of a different trope. And my god it was such an immersive way to tell the story! Simply reading the header of “Dream House as ____” immediately had me intrigued.

Next, the themes. I know themes are often discussed in the context of works of fiction, but this novel had such great themes despite being someone’s real life. The focus on how abuse within LGBTQ+ relationships is often dismissed because “how could a woman abuse another woman??” I think that highlighting that abuse is not homogeneous and can happen in any relationship of any kind is a really important message to give. And to hear the perspective of someone caught in an abusive relationship who felt trapped with no way out is incredibly important, because I think many people, whether consciously or not, have this idea that if you’re in a bad situation you should just leave. It’s not that simple but to hear and see someone’s real, lived in experience is SO important.

Lastly, the lasting impact. This is a book that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. This book had me crying at 1 am and 1 pm, it had me thinking deeply about what Machado was saying. This is a book I’ll take with me through life, one that I’ll look back to as a distinct point in time. It is truly a work of art.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

lycheejelly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Cancer, Cursing, Dementia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit