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sambolter's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! The Dream House as a Choose Your Own Adventure was next level!
rachelmueller's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
jennygeee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.25
I was gripped a lot of the time and really enjoyed the discussion on the violence of the archive. think this was well written and I really liked the format but there were a few major things I didn’t like. There were a good amount of “chapters” that were retellings of other stories (movies, episodes, music videos) and I didn’t love them and also didn’t think they fit very well. If the author were to bring up a movie in passing and I want to watch it I will watch it, I don’t really want to read someone else’s summary of it. I also didn’t love how so many of the “chapters” started with “I wrote part of this book in [insert some cabin in some obscure part of the world]. It felt pretentious and it took me out of her story. I hesitate to say this because I’m not trying to victim blame or remove any responsibility from the abuser in this situation but another thing that I didn’t love about it was that clearly this was one side of a probably more nuanced situation. The author makes herself out to be a perfect person who can do no wrong. Bad things happen to good people but bad things also happen to people who are human, and I didn’t feel that she was representing herself as a human with faults. All of that said I think this was an important story to tell and I hope it continues to shed a light on abuse outside of a heteronormative context.
panda's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books ever written deserves everything amazing yes owow
bozzi1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I listened to this audiobook and loved the writing style. I thought it was lyrical and brilliant but can see why it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Several quotes stuck with me, especially the ones below.
“I had a room to myself as a kid, but my mother was always quick to point out that it wasn't my room, it was her room and I was merely permitted to occupy it. Her point, of course, was that my parents had earned everything and I was merely borrowing the space, and while this is technically true 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. That no space was truly private; anything of mine could be forfeited at someone else's whim.”
“The trouble with letting people see you at your worst isn’t that they’ll remember; it’s that you’ll remember.”
“Why do we teach girls that their perspectives are inherently untrustworthy?”
“I had a room to myself as a kid, but my mother was always quick to point out that it wasn't my room, it was her room and I was merely permitted to occupy it. Her point, of course, was that my parents had earned everything and I was merely borrowing the space, and while this is technically true 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. That no space was truly private; anything of mine could be forfeited at someone else's whim.”
“The trouble with letting people see you at your worst isn’t that they’ll remember; it’s that you’ll remember.”
“Why do we teach girls that their perspectives are inherently untrustworthy?”
bookber's review against another edition
5.0
Such a beautifully written, fascinating and moving memoir highlighting the lesser known issue of domestic abuse in same-sex relationships. I swear I highlighted almost the entire book because so much of it really resonated with me as someone who knows a lot about domestic abuse but not the nuances and complexities that exist in same-sex abuse. The author tells her story and discusses these issues in short vignettes, making this a very accessible and unique book that everyone should read. A new favourite of mine and I desperately want to re-read [b:Her Body and Other Parties: Stories|33375622|Her Body and Other Parties Stories|Carmen Maria Machado|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485266434l/33375622._SX50_.jpg|54116423] with this extra context.