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allesartemis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Beautifully written, raw, and emotional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Fatphobia
adoras's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
In the Dream House is told in a unique style that combines memoir, media and literary criticism, and research of documented lesbian domestic abuse. In it, Carmen Maria Machado is trying to find the language to tell the story of an abusive relationship, something made difficult both because of the abuse and because, in a relationship between two women, there is an utter lack of acknowledgement that abuse happens.
The book is broken up into short chapters with headings that will examine her story through a certain lens. Some of these set the events in a place ("The Dream House as Apartment in Philadelphia"), while some will speak about some piece of media that gives context to an abusive and manipulative relationship and its effects, at least for Machado (this ranges from the movie Gaslight to the folktale "Bluebeard" to an episode of Star Trek). Others think about more common tropes, styles, or themes ("The Dream House as Idioms", "The Dream House as Schrodinger's Cat", "The Dream House as a Plot Twist"). In the prologue, Machado talks about "archival silence," in which stories are erased or destroyed or never spoken about. These many different chapters are a way of telling her story, as well as unearthing many others.
The book is broken up into short chapters with headings that will examine her story through a certain lens. Some of these set the events in a place ("The Dream House as Apartment in Philadelphia"), while some will speak about some piece of media that gives context to an abusive and manipulative relationship and its effects, at least for Machado (this ranges from the movie Gaslight to the folktale "Bluebeard" to an episode of Star Trek). Others think about more common tropes, styles, or themes ("The Dream House as Idioms", "The Dream House as Schrodinger's Cat", "The Dream House as a Plot Twist"). In the prologue, Machado talks about "archival silence," in which stories are erased or destroyed or never spoken about. These many different chapters are a way of telling her story, as well as unearthing many others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Fatphobia
Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Misogyny
alexandrapaul's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
So different than anything I’ve ever read. I loved the short form stories and the lyrical writing. Even though this is not even fiction, let alone horror, some of the things that the author describes are truly horrifying. This is a book that really makes you think about life in a different way, and it’s something I wasn’t expecting from a memoir. Would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook like I did because it’s narrated by the author and it makes it feel very personal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
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