Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

1211 reviews

e11en's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

maritareads's review against another edition

I felt like I had to finish it rather than wanting to finish it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer

slimygf's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

teekeita's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.25

This is an inventive style of memoir. The

choose your own ending part

!!
Again it reminds me of Christina Sharpe/McKittrick's use of (end)notes and writing in snapshots/short succinct bites. I loved the recurring 'styles' of what i'm going to call 'Dream House' diary entries where the style and form feels the same; we know what to expect as reader (e.g. the chapter 'Dream House as Déjà Vu'). Machado has a way of writing memoir that reads like poetry; some of this book is poetry. A difficult read of lesbian domestic abuse...some (re)accounts shook me to my core. A happy shock though was

Machado ending up with the third woman, Val, at the end of the story

. I wish there was a bit more engagement with the I in the book - that is who is Carmen and what is her positionality, particularly when the form switches from memoir to nonfiction essay. The chapters on queer domestic abuse especially. White latinas have a way invoking critical race analysis and not positioning themselves within their analysis. Overall a superb book that pushes the boundary of what is memoir. Exsquisite chapters: 'Dream House as Spy Thriller', 'Dream House as 9 Thornton Square', 'Dream House as Ambiguity', 'Dream House as Double Cross'. I cannot get the line "a kick of anxiety in your lungs" out of my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse

its_eel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gaslighting

v_vian_ne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia

katlouisee's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense

2.5

I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style, but my frustrations with it must not distract from the fact that queer domestic abuse isn't talked about enough. This was a heavy read, but it got me to confront the side of queerness that is not joyful and was a harsh reminder that abuse can come in all forms - nobody is excused or safe. I also found the nuance of generational abuse interesting -

it's implied fhat the woman in the dream house's childhood likely informed her own abusive behaviour,

and it was interesting to see her grapple with that, even briefly. 

There's no doubt that Machado is a skilled writer, and her words were carefully selected in this memoir, but I can't help feeling like I didn't get to know her other than in the context of her extremely toxic relationship. It felt a little too well-crafted, almost as though it was trying to make itself a seminal text (especially when it brought up the ocxasional queer theorist or stat). Not saying it isn't, but to me, the style sometimes obscured the subject matter seemingly for the sake of being artsy. I really hope I'm not diminishing Machado's story here - I'm fortunate enough not to have shared her experience, so can only assume how disorientating, dehumanising, and hurtful this relationship was for her. I'm not sure how much her stylistic choices were trying to emulate being broken down by a loved one or how much of it was the product of studying an MFA, though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual harassment

rafdee13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

5.0

Domestic violence is difficult to write about coherently. Nevermind the complications of lesbian domestic violence In a system that perpetuates the invisibility of both. This book serves as a witness and a warning, and is beautifully written to boot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

fairyollie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

oh wow. very heartbreaking, reflective, so very well-done. how is it possible to review and criticize someone's own life, their experience?

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Content Warnings

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

jaamajam's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

A beautiful, powerful memoir on abuse within wlw relationships, written unbelievably poetically

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship