Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

92 reviews

daisydoolie's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

Beautifully written, first book I’ve ever read that talks about lesbian domestic abuse in a way that gave great clarity and frankness - whilst still being a brilliantly composed and written book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Vomit, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

denteaste's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse

sunbeam_reader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

One of the most amazing book I read in  2021. Absolutely would recommend to anyone, especially sapphic folks. However, PLEASE read TW/CW for this book it deals with really heavy stuff that may be triggering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape

This book deals entirely with domestic abuse in sapphic relationships.

han__turner's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Mental illness

2treads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

'I speak into the silence. I toss the stone of my story into a vast crevice. Measure the emptiness by its small sound': to me this read as an allegory for the amount of stories detailing queer abuse that has been acknowledged told publicly; that is known, that is recorded.

The creative way in which Machado catalogued, categorized, and exposed her wounds, abuse and experiences is something that I have never encountered and will not soon forget.

There is not much to say to express my time with this book but to say how society has failed abuse victims, specifically persons in queer and same sex relationships 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

In The Dream House is a spectacular, gut wrenching look at the wildly underreported epidemic of abuse within queer relationships. Carmen has created something so special by using this memoir to tell her story but also the story of so many others left without that voice.

Each chapter is short, succinct and perfectly formed. Machado uses many literary devices throughout the book to convey some of the darker moments, such as Bildungsroman, Chekhov's Gun, Schrödinger’s Cat and a comedy of errors. One of the moments which really took my breath away and truly conveyed the hopeless, suffocating nature of their relationship was the Choose Your Own Adventure section. Her writing style, language and pacing makes this book feel suitably claustrophobic and you can feel every single emotion seep from the pages.

Not alone just a breath taking memoir, this books stands out as an ice-breaker, a starting point hopefully to open those conversations about the abuse and violence which occurs within queer relationships and is often swept under the carpet. Just because something isn't widely spoken about does not mean it is not happening daily.

This is an absolute must read for everyone and I know already it will be one of my top reads for 2022. Thank you Carmen Maria Machado for sharing your story. 

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Content Warnings

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

theocbookgirl's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Incredible writing. This is someone who is a WRITER - the language and metaphors and symbolism she uses to describe such intimate and cruel abuse absolutely knocked me over.  This memoir shows a raw and graphic look at an abusive relationship and also acknowledges and discusses how little the subject of queer domestic violence is talked about. 

“Did you say that? Really? You can’t remember saying that or even thinking it, and yet she is letting you know that it was said, and you definitely meant it that way.”

Gaslighting and mental mindfuckery are the worst kind of manipulation. My blood was boiling through many parts. I’m so relieved she was able to leave and to share her story. 

“A reminder, perhaps, that abusers do not need to be, and rarely are, cackling maniacs. They just need to want something, and not care how they get it.”

From an interview: Are you still working through what happened, or did writing the book give you a sort of closure?
I don’t think that the purpose of writing a book like this is closure. I wanted to write a beautiful piece of art about something that happened to me. I think my own relationship with the material is unfinished, as so much of our lives are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

foolishg_irl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

whentheresteeth's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is brilliantly written and so important. I loved the poetic writing. I loved the extremely short chapters. I loved the footnotes. I... have no words. Oh my God.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, Fatphobia, and Hate crime

embervleo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Bullying, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Physical abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Gore, and Fatphobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, and Car accident