Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

243 reviews

enyltiak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

A book review in snippets of thoughts I sent to my friend I was buddy-reading with as I went:

- “!!! genuinely so good. i didn’t realize it was in 2nd person (or, well mostly anyway) and honestly how did i not see that coming. just Works. i don’t think i finished all the stories in her body and other parties but even so, as much as i was enjoying that i feel like this is even better! also noted the way that even chapters focused outside of “her” are still “dream house as…” painting this representation draped over the whole thing of how this relationship has reflected on/effected her whole life reaching backwards”

- “genre defying and unique and yet makes perfect sense. of course [a memoir] should be written this way. why would it be any different? you can see she is SUCH a skilled writer. i can’t wait to see a novel from her. like holy shit, can you imagine?”

- “i get lost in the pov shifts and it’s all one. its me and you and her and wow. also the footnotes !!!!!!! i am not coherent but wow”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

nataliegoodman13's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Go read it. An all-time favorite that I will be revisiting again and again and again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

jazhandz's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

immorallybookish's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

jashanac's review against another edition

4.5

Well. I read this in one sitting, which is not something I do often at ALL, and one of the only other times I have done so was reading Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios which is also a story of an abusive relationship. This is an experience I have unfortunately had in my own life, and I am always so hesitant/nervous to pick these types of books up, because I know I will cry at some point and be thrown back into the past, but I also clearly DEVOUR them due to how seen and validated I feel upon reading them. 

I'm a bisexual woman but who has not ever been in a relationship with a woman and my own experience of abuse was with a man, so obviously the thematic elements discussing queerness and abuse in queer relationships and especially abuse in relationships between women, is not something I can relate to -- but while everyone who experiences abuse experiences it differently, there is so much about it that is familiar. 

The structure of this memoir is definitely unique and will not be to everyone's taste. It wasn't even exactly to my taste all of the time, but any dislike I ever felt for the structure was overshadowed by the moments that struck me to my core. The scene where Machado describes

being screamed at and chased around the house by her ex, and locking herself in the bathroom while her abuser tries breaking the door down... only to come out later still crying and shaking to have her abuser say, "What's wrong? Why do you look so upset?"

made me start crying immediately. It's such a succinct way to explain the absolute mindfuckery of emotional and mental abuse -- let me terrify you and torment you and make you fearful for your safety... only to ask you why you're so upset. It makes you feel like you're living in an alternate reality Twilight Zone. 

I did feel like there were several sections that felt a bit like "fluff" that I didn't personally think added to the thematic elements enough and that were not really adding to the "here is what abuse can look like and feel like" story being told either. That and the structure not always working for me are the reasons it's not a solid 5 stars for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

klsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

In the Dream House is a masterpiece. Told in vignettes structured around literature tropes, this memoir follows the rise and fall of a profoundly abusive relationship. Machado is brave, vulnerable, and unflinchingly honest as she exposes the abuse she suffered across a 2 year relationship with another woman. She asks: if we view queer relationships as utopia divorced from patriarchy and hierarchy, are we being homophobic? Are lesbians not humans - complex, hurting, and capable of inflicting extreme harm? If we flatten a group of people into a monolith, we dehumanize them. This book is a necessary addition to the growing work on the incidence of abuse in queer relationships.

I've never read anything quite like this - I loved the vignette narrative structure. The book moved quickly because most sections were short. A couple of the tropes dragged on for me/didn't hit 100%, but I was enthralled and could hardly put it down. A few standouts for me - "Dream House as Deja Vu" (x3), "Dream House as Queer Villainy" (!!!), "Dream House as Bluebeard", "Dream House as the River Lethe", "Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure" ...... ok, I have to stop or I'm going to quote half of this work.

Even more wild: I was in Iowa City as an undergrad during the events of this book. Did I see Carmen and the Woman from the Dream House at a coffee shop, at Obama's speech, in a bookstore? It makes me shiver, the ways people suffer out of view.

Brilliant. Carmen Maria Machado is an absolute force and a genius of prose and innovative structure. I HIGHLY recommend this book, but mind the CW's. Machado doesn't shy away from the gore at the heart of her story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Gun violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

racheltrow_'s review

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Lesbophobia

kitkathouse's review against another edition

Well-written, but I went in blind (book club book) and the events detailed in this book are perfect mixture of my worst nightmares that I would prefer not to relive. If DV, toxic poly situationships, or same-sex DV are any of your triggers I would not recommend you read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia and Infidelity

Minor: Biphobia and Lesbophobia

_fictionalreality's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

t0astghost's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

4.25

Beautiful metaphors. I picked up this book not exactly knowing what to expect, other than knowing it talked about a queer woman's experience with domestic abuse. It was a great read, and the author paints their life very well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia