Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

En la casa de los sueños by Carmen Maria Machado

131 reviews

blakeandbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget this book. Carmen delivers such a thought provoking and haunting memoir as she recounts her experience with domestic abuse from a previous partner. What haunted me even more was not only listening to her story via audiobook, but that she is also the one to narrate the book. Her writing is powerful and demands attention. She also discusses how lesbian relationships can be damaging, even though there is not much literature or studies that she herself could find while researching. If you’re looking for more nonfiction, memoirs, or queer literature, pick this book up. 

This book was January Prompt B for #TheDiverseBaseline challenge: read a book by a Latine author. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

theperfectblues's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness

airr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Moderate: Vomit

tkmunson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

blymanor's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Body shaming, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and Lesbophobia

creativerunnings's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic relationship

mariaisabelad's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a gorgeous memoir. Compulsively readable from start-to-finish, Machado's penchant for lyricism and horrific elements makes for a creative, unique interpretation of the nonfiction structure. Her ability to express the corrosion of a relationship into intimate partner violence while acknowledging the complications of abuse in a queer relationship made me reflect deeply on the language we use to understand violence. An essential read from one of my favorite authors working today.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Gaslighting and Physical abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

rhiwind93's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

abmochapman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

In the Dream House might be one of those books to which I return again and again. Although Carmen Maria Machado’s writing is at times difficult and frustrating or simply gauche, it is also at times full of beauty and release. And what’s more is how much her words speak to experiences resemble my own despite the world of difference between them. 

Abuse in queer relationships is unique and deserving of the time and attention she pays to it in this book, and yet, the pain I experienced in abusive heterosexual relationships seems almost the same. I do not know the specific pain of being betrayed by a same-sex partner, someone who is so similar to me, but I do know what it’s like to doubt my own experiences and even wish there had been physical scars to which I could point as evidence. I understand that sick desire to be hurt enough to be heard.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Infidelity

harrimyers's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

i am absolutely overcome with emotion. i cant say i’ve read many memoirs but this was maybe one of the most imaginative, deeply feeling and evocative approaches to a memoir i’ve ever come across. every piece of description and dialogue was so heart-wrenchingly personal and impactful.

the academic tone that underlined some of the chapters mixed with machados introspection and detail of her own experiences was a beautiful, haunting, and sensitive choice. the tone remained strong all the way through and the choice to advocate throughout this book was done very well. the metaphors, literary choices, and overall approach were just fantastic. the sources she used, the media that she critiqued and used to tell her own story along side of it were beautifully picked and j now have a list of essays, movies, and topics to go through. the choice to format each chapter in short vignettes centred around one theme, motif or technique was brilliant and i especially loved the use of footnotes to the folklore motif reference book, as reading them following the passage only heightened the point she was trying to make. some of these footnotes were so powerful, even if the reference was only 2 words. one that stood out to me was when she was describing her inability to masturbate, and she likened it to the motif of ‘losing magic power’, alongside the themes of sexual relation and her own acknowledged high sex drive and the power she personally got from sex, was a really insightful choice. 

the last two lines of thr acknowledgement. were beautiful. and i’m so grateful to have read this book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship