Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Дом иллюзий by Carmen Maria Machado, Кармен Мария Мачадо

27 reviews

melmoony's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

A haunting and terrible tale about domestic abuse. Machado writes about her own experience being in a queer relationship and going through the ups of falling in love and finding who she really is juxtaposed with the downs of being gaslighted and abused. It read like a fever dream, each chapter a disjointed exploration of “the dream house.” I’ve never read a memoir like this and is the only book I’ve read of hers, yet you can tell she is a poet because of the lyrical style of her prose. I cannot say I enjoyed it in a true sense, but I think her writing is lyrical, her voice is unique, and that more discussions about same-sex domestic abuse and across all relationship types should be had.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

3.5

This book deals with an extremely important topic that needs to be voiced and discussed. That said, as a piece of work itself, I liked it so-so. 

I did not get along with the narrative structure, I found the rapid-fire succession of chapters (supposed to show different genres and narrative styles) too much disjointed and confusing. The writing style is a bit too much experimental for me.

I liked much more the chapters that were "essay-like", exploring queer history and theory. However, I think that this mixing of informative chapters together with more literary and elaborately written ones was a bit jarring, it felt like two different books mashed up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Lesbophobia, Body horror, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Abandonment, Mental illness, Sexism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Gun violence, Medical content, Drug abuse, Torture, Cursing, Car accident, Biphobia, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Bullying, Transphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Suicide, and Dementia

aleshiabev's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty

meleac07's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

As a queer, predominantly lesbian individual, this gave me perspective and made me feel, in a way, safe.
Seeing a woman so openly and explicitly talk through her experience with queer domestic abuse, it both hurt me to the very core of my being and gave me hope that some day, we could as a society, fully acknowledge and accept that queer people are not a different species, somehow immune or shut off from the experiences of heterosexual people.
I find a part of myself reflected in this story, and the author so eloquently told it in a way that made me feel a part of it somehow, like I could feel a mere fragment of her suffering and heartbreak. 
This story is both brave and powerful in every way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Blood and Lesbophobia

Minor: Fatphobia and Animal death

hannibanani29's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Drug use, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Biphobia, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Dementia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

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.

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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

edenangus's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Minor: Animal death and Vomit

whentheresteeth's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is brilliantly written and so important. I loved the poetic writing. I loved the extremely short chapters. I loved the footnotes. I... have no words. Oh my God.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, Fatphobia, and Hate crime

animalsmals's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Animal death, Vomit, and Biphobia

mallory10100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

wow this book was amazing. heartbreaking yet quick. i highly recommend. i really liked the unique format. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Infidelity

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit

this book really doesn’t feel like non fiction, but it’s a chilling true story and i highly recommend it