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worldofbookcraft's review against another edition
4.0
gorgeous prose, from describing the inner psyche of an abused partner, to articulating queer issues, to describing a dalek outfit and a Star Trek episode. the physiological violence is written so authentically that it’s hard to read at times. wasn’t a fan of the short chapters
“Our bodies are ecosystems, and they shed and replace and repair until we die. And when we die, our bodies feed the hungry earth, our cells becoming part of other cells, and in the world of the living, where. we used to be, people kiss and hold hands and fall in love and fuck and laugh and cry and hurt others and nurse broken hearts and start wars and pull sleeping children out of car seats and shout at each other. If you could harness that energy – that constant, roving hunger – you could do wonders with it. You could push the earth inch by inch through the cosmos until it collided heart first with the sun.”
“It’s not being radical to point out that people on the fringe have to be better than people in the mainstream, that they have twice as much to prove. In trying to get people to see your humanity, you reveal just that: your humanity. Your fundamentally problematic nature. All the unique and terrible ways in which people can, and do, fail…
We deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity.”
“Our bodies are ecosystems, and they shed and replace and repair until we die. And when we die, our bodies feed the hungry earth, our cells becoming part of other cells, and in the world of the living, where. we used to be, people kiss and hold hands and fall in love and fuck and laugh and cry and hurt others and nurse broken hearts and start wars and pull sleeping children out of car seats and shout at each other. If you could harness that energy – that constant, roving hunger – you could do wonders with it. You could push the earth inch by inch through the cosmos until it collided heart first with the sun.”
“It’s not being radical to point out that people on the fringe have to be better than people in the mainstream, that they have twice as much to prove. In trying to get people to see your humanity, you reveal just that: your humanity. Your fundamentally problematic nature. All the unique and terrible ways in which people can, and do, fail…
We deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity.”
adriannagraz's review against another edition
5.0
Devastatingly beautiful writing. As someone who’s experienced an abusive queer relationship, reading this was so meaningful and felt like connection
weirdow's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Very rough, but also easy to read. Beautiful writing with a large range of themes touched on. Really liked the use of footnotes and choose your own section.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse and Physical abuse
perusinghannah's review against another edition
4.0
In the Dream House is a memoir that details domestic violence in a sapphic relationship, and it did so in a truly raw and poignant matter.
I already knew Carmen Maria Machado was strong in short-form since I read Her Body and Other Parties years ago, but I had no idea In the Dream House was told almost in fragments that had a very similar effect. Her recollection of this relationship is described in such a fractured manner, and yet the whole of it is so cohesive, that it underlined the emotionally abusive experiences in a way that truly struck hard. Nothing is underplayed or overstated, and yet she has such a distinctly strong voice that I appreciated my reading experience from start to finish.
That said, there were portions of this that just weren't as poignant as others, and I felt myself drifting during the parts where the author either leaned very heavily on other media or symbolism, but at the end of the day the positive heavily outweighed the negatives.
I don't know whether I'd comfortably recommend this book to just anyone, as it's unflinching in its descriptions of all aspects of this relationship. However, if you feel confident you're in a position to safely read about this subject, In the Dream House is a memoir I highly recommend.
I already knew Carmen Maria Machado was strong in short-form since I read Her Body and Other Parties years ago, but I had no idea In the Dream House was told almost in fragments that had a very similar effect. Her recollection of this relationship is described in such a fractured manner, and yet the whole of it is so cohesive, that it underlined the emotionally abusive experiences in a way that truly struck hard. Nothing is underplayed or overstated, and yet she has such a distinctly strong voice that I appreciated my reading experience from start to finish.
That said, there were portions of this that just weren't as poignant as others, and I felt myself drifting during the parts where the author either leaned very heavily on other media or symbolism, but at the end of the day the positive heavily outweighed the negatives.
I don't know whether I'd comfortably recommend this book to just anyone, as it's unflinching in its descriptions of all aspects of this relationship. However, if you feel confident you're in a position to safely read about this subject, In the Dream House is a memoir I highly recommend.
alexamitchell92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
bthadifields's review against another edition
3.0
Este es un memoir valiente e innovador donde Carmen Maria Machado relata su relación abusiva con su exnovia, explorando el dolor, la confusión y la recuperación con una honestidad y creatividad sin precedentes. Machado utiliza una estructura no lineal y un estilo fragmentado, recurriendo a diversos géneros y estilos literarios para explorar el trauma y la recuperación.
La estructura del libro es una de sus características más destacadas. Machado organiza la narrativa en capítulos breves, cada uno titulado "Dream House as..." seguido de una referencia a un género literario, cultural o estilístico. Esta técnica permite que cada capítulo adopte un tono y enfoque diferente, desde el horror gótico hasta la ciencia ficción, lo que enriquece la experiencia de lectura y ofrece múltiples perspectivas sobre el abuso y el trauma. Esta fragmentación refleja la naturaleza caótica de la memoria y el impacto duradero del abuso emocional.
Lo que más destacó en mi fue el cambio de punto de vista, pues pasa de tercera persona a segunda y de ahí a primera para volver a tercera, por lo general, cuando relata vivencias con esta ex pareja lo hace en segunda persona donde tu eres la protagonista de estos abusos tanto físicos como psicológicos.
"In the Dream House" no es solo una memoria, sino también un acto de resistencia y empoderamiento. Machado desafía las narrativas convencionales sobre el abuso y la victimización, ofreciendo una voz poderosa y necesaria para las víctimas de abuso en relaciones queer. Su libro es un testimonio de resiliencia y una llamada a la acción para reconocer y enfrentar las complejidades del abuso emocional.
La estructura del libro es una de sus características más destacadas. Machado organiza la narrativa en capítulos breves, cada uno titulado "Dream House as..." seguido de una referencia a un género literario, cultural o estilístico. Esta técnica permite que cada capítulo adopte un tono y enfoque diferente, desde el horror gótico hasta la ciencia ficción, lo que enriquece la experiencia de lectura y ofrece múltiples perspectivas sobre el abuso y el trauma. Esta fragmentación refleja la naturaleza caótica de la memoria y el impacto duradero del abuso emocional.
Lo que más destacó en mi fue el cambio de punto de vista, pues pasa de tercera persona a segunda y de ahí a primera para volver a tercera, por lo general, cuando relata vivencias con esta ex pareja lo hace en segunda persona donde tu eres la protagonista de estos abusos tanto físicos como psicológicos.
"In the Dream House" no es solo una memoria, sino también un acto de resistencia y empoderamiento. Machado desafía las narrativas convencionales sobre el abuso y la victimización, ofreciendo una voz poderosa y necesaria para las víctimas de abuso en relaciones queer. Su libro es un testimonio de resiliencia y una llamada a la acción para reconocer y enfrentar las complejidades del abuso emocional.