Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

1214 reviews

lottiegasp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is stunning and compelling. It starts off describing her delightful and addictive romance to The Woman in a way that reminded me of Written On The Body by Jeanette Winterson and The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson- just complete adoration for the other. Then the abuse emerges. As hard as it may be to understand (for people who haven't experienced abuse at least) Machado gives us a sense why the relationship was so hard to leave. The chapters are mostly very short and bring in different genres and motifs, mostly from folk tales and horror. And her writing is beautiful. So it's a real page turner throughout. I'm excited to read everything else by Machado

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse

megjenedwards's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

A stunning reflection on an abusive relationship, queerness and healing. Beautifully challenging, the sharpest of humour, and altogether masterful writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Lesbophobia

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

Very unique writing style.
The many short vignettes showcasing different moments of her life and her relationship with the dream house woman partly through layered metaphors worked very well for me.
Particularly loved the use of footnotes and I'm glad that I didn't opt for the audiobook because they apparently omit them.
Will probably reread this at some point, I think it's a book that might profit from a reread, going in with all the information you have from the first read through

 

The repetition of "Deja Vu" sections and the choose your own adventure chapter were very haunting highlights of the book.

 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, and Fatphobia

blaw84's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

This books was written in a unique style that I had to adjust to at first, but soon began to appreciate. Most of the chapters are only a few pages which makes it feel like a fast read and hard to put down. Carmen’s story was very moving, and highlighted the ways in which emotional abuse are insidious. I believe the book also gave greater insight into how difficult it is for people to leave abusive relationships and the struggles of being a queer woman and being properly viewed as a victim trapped in a vicious cycle. As much as Carmen’s friends and family tried to raised concerns, ultimately it took Carmen to have enough courage on her own to leave the toxic relationship. 

Overall, I thought this memoir was very moving, and gave me a look into the ways not only abuse, whether physical or emotional, can take an enormous toll on a person. However, in that same vein highlighting the resiliency that is on the other side of abusive relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

chrisnglaser's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

kajasversion's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

I dont really go for memoirs, but I found this one’s writting style to be really interesting. The story was hard to bear through and I cannot even imagine what the author herself had to go through in order to write this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting

standardchaos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

chels_ro's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.75

a harrowing book that chronicles a queer abusive relationship with each chapter built around a prompt/trope that lands just personal enough to make you feel as though you are reading her diary. the unique structure through which the story is told is reason to read it alone. the only reason it wasn’t quite 5 stars for me is because i felt a few chapters didn’t add anything to the book. 

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Homophobia and Infidelity