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chealey14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
elocoel's review against another edition
4.0
Machado writes a very poetic, gothic horror-esque memoir of the abuse she went through.
It is very hard to rate and review a survivor's experience because who am I to say they did or did not do justice to their own story. Yet, Machado is a writer, and her memoir is not just a memoir, so I'll try my best to convey what I felt whilst reading her work.
In the Dream House creates a greatly chilling atmosphere that would not stick out in a very well-done psychological horror movie. Combined with Machado's writing style, how the whole book is written in second-person, it plants its root within the reader while also allowing Machado to address her past self.
The book is full of references to folk horror, derives characters and stories from various cultures to create a whole picture of the woman in the Dream House. It also talks about the history of queer women and abuse, something very hushed even today.
While there's a lot to say about this book, it is best read from Machado's own hand.
Now, to explain why this is a 4-star for me instead of a 5-star despite me praising it this much, I have to admit that while the writing style is very poetic and adds a lot to this work of art, I really had a hard time getting used to it. I usually flock towards simpler styles in memoirs because I believe the best way to convey a message is through clarity, and this book is not clear at all until you truly get used to it. Due to this, the first half took me a while to get through; I really had to force myself to read until the second half, which then I finished in one sitting.
Overall, In the Dream House is a very intimate piece of work that opens a new door to go through when talking about the more unlistened parts of wlw relationships. Machado does an excellent job, and I am proud of her and every victim who finds power in themselves to come forward with their stories.
It is very hard to rate and review a survivor's experience because who am I to say they did or did not do justice to their own story. Yet, Machado is a writer, and her memoir is not just a memoir, so I'll try my best to convey what I felt whilst reading her work.
In the Dream House creates a greatly chilling atmosphere that would not stick out in a very well-done psychological horror movie. Combined with Machado's writing style, how the whole book is written in second-person, it plants its root within the reader while also allowing Machado to address her past self.
The book is full of references to folk horror, derives characters and stories from various cultures to create a whole picture of the woman in the Dream House. It also talks about the history of queer women and abuse, something very hushed even today.
While there's a lot to say about this book, it is best read from Machado's own hand.
Now, to explain why this is a 4-star for me instead of a 5-star despite me praising it this much, I have to admit that while the writing style is very poetic and adds a lot to this work of art, I really had a hard time getting used to it. I usually flock towards simpler styles in memoirs because I believe the best way to convey a message is through clarity, and this book is not clear at all until you truly get used to it. Due to this, the first half took me a while to get through; I really had to force myself to read until the second half, which then I finished in one sitting.
Overall, In the Dream House is a very intimate piece of work that opens a new door to go through when talking about the more unlistened parts of wlw relationships. Machado does an excellent job, and I am proud of her and every victim who finds power in themselves to come forward with their stories.
sarahjover's review against another edition
3.0
hm, lastig. 3 of 4 sterren. Sommige hoofdstukken vond ik zo goed en leuk en anderen waren niet om doorheen te komen. Ik was voornamelijk geïnteresseerd in de dynamiek tussen de twee vrouwen en dus lieten de theoretische hoofdstukken mij koud
mj111's review against another edition
1.0
this was just not for me. I get the memoir and the retelling of an experience. If you’ve been through emotional abuse, you dont really want to read 250 pages of that.
moonspluvia's review against another edition
4.0
A low 4.5??? I had an expectation of how this book was gonna be written. Everyone said it was written like a fairy tale or an actual fictional story- very poetic and whatnot. And it was!! But not in the way I thought it was, which left me having to adjust. I thought it was gonna be more fiction than memoir, using all kinds of metaphors and stuff to describe her irl experiences. And it was, but it also wasn’t.
But, overall, this book was fantastic. This book is a memoir and it reads like a memoir. I think that’s where my brain tripped up. Cause it didn’t read as fictional and whimsical as some have described, but whatever!! I think tho ebook was fantastic and I’m very grateful to have read it. I’m glad to have read another nonfiction book and can’t wait to read more
But, overall, this book was fantastic. This book is a memoir and it reads like a memoir. I think that’s where my brain tripped up. Cause it didn’t read as fictional and whimsical as some have described, but whatever!! I think tho ebook was fantastic and I’m very grateful to have read it. I’m glad to have read another nonfiction book and can’t wait to read more
abigaildrozek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
5.0
willow_reads1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
“We will always be hungry, will always want. Our bodies and minds will always crave something, even if we don’t recognize it.”
“Sometimes your tongue is removed, sometimes you still it of your own accord. Sometimes you live, sometimes you die. Sometimes you have a name, sometimes you are named for what—not who—you are. The story always looks a little different, depending on who is telling it.”
“I cannot help but marvel at the singular damage of this dark idea: That my existence as a child was a kind of debt and nothing, no matter how small, was mine.”
“A reminder, perhaps, that abusers do not need to be, and rarely are, cackling maniacs. They just need to want something, and not care how they get it.”
“you only speak the language of giving yourself up.”
“Sometimes your tongue is removed, sometimes you still it of your own accord. Sometimes you live, sometimes you die. Sometimes you have a name, sometimes you are named for what—not who—you are. The story always looks a little different, depending on who is telling it.”
“I cannot help but marvel at the singular damage of this dark idea: That my existence as a child was a kind of debt and nothing, no matter how small, was mine.”
“A reminder, perhaps, that abusers do not need to be, and rarely are, cackling maniacs. They just need to want something, and not care how they get it.”
“you only speak the language of giving yourself up.”
maryshelleyily's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
dymphna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0