Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

241 reviews

kc_gilbert's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

fayemomodu's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely love this book. As someone who attending college at the University of Iowa I loved reading this as it takes place in Iowa City at the college. The book almost reads as poetry and is very beautiful written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

clovetra's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

i feel it very hard to summarise this book. especially seeing as it is a biography about domestic violence. 

reading this book was very conflicting. at times, i hated the lyrical and vague writing presented, with abstract concepts plaguing this book, confusing the shit out of me. at other times, i adored the intrinsic thoughts of machado presented, and the format of the story aided in presenting how machado felt.

 i absolutely adored the choose your own adventure portion & the mini excerpts about queer history & abuse. i think i spent a solid 10 minutes pondering the choose your own adventure section. it felt so perfect for this book. the excerpts explaining abuse in queer communities was a great addition, with machado linking the stories to her experiences.

i didn’t really enjoy how this story jumps every where, and a lot of points are repetitive. the repetitive nature is probably a deeper commentary on the cycle of domestic violence i am too naive to discern, but it was frustrating as a reader. it kind of reminded me of “a woman is no man” by etaf rum in that sense - yes, these are novels based in truth, and domestic violence isn’t as simple as leaving. on a purely artistic form, this book was a beautiful explanation of the back and forth present with dv victims. but as a reader it was a difficult read. 

i do think this book has taught me a lot, especially within myself and a lot of lesbian history i didn’t know (shakes head at self). i do also think this book was beautifully written and something every queer person should read. but i don’t know i find there are a lot of “drawbacks” that i can’t even put a name to regarding this book. it’s so lyrical in nature it’s hard to describe what i loved & what i didn’t. 

i feel awful saying all these things because it’s a memoir!!!! this shit is real!!!!!! i am not just critiquing words on a page i’m critiquing someone’s lived experiences!!!!! but i can’t lie and praise this book till the cows come home. i don’t know i feel like this review is a bit scummy seeing as this is based in reality

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

Minor: Pregnancy

kaimju's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

„In the pit of it, you fantasize about dying. Tripping on a sidewalk and stumbling into the path of an oncoming car… Anything to make it stop. You have forgotten that leaving is an option” </3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Biphobia and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual assault

alloftaysreads's review against another edition

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

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

julsreadinglist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault

filisia's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Alcohol

cow_png's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This was an incredible read and I wish that everyone could read this book! I kept thinking about and wanting to read most times in the day. 
The narrative lens were such an interesting way to write!! and I loved seeing how the way of writing would changed with it!
Definitely look at the content warning before reading if you are a sensitive person (Such as I) 
Amazing book, so happy that I read it!!

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Content Warnings

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

errie's review against another edition

challenging dark

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting