Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

165 reviews

foursythia's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide

jemjjb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

moss_martii's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

It was very personal to me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting

titsnkitties's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Machado reflects on her experience of an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship, contextualizing within the queer community where same-sex violence against women is too rarely recognized and named. Her inventive exploration of literary genres (each chapter takes a new form) makes for a challenging but fascinating read. This book gave me hope and community during a very difficult time in my life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

winterdevil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

 A cleverly structured memoir reflecting on abuse in a lesbian relationship—each chapter in the story is a different genre or concept with its own convention and angle.

The ending, however, felt rushed and less "complete" for lack of a better word. There are a few moments in recounting the abusive relationship where Machado says that she doesn't know how she'll learn to trust a lover again, how she'll grow comfortable in her body, how she'll let anyone touch her. Then the relationship ends, and suddenly she just does all those things all in the same chapter without reflecting on how or why. It's especially stark because she doesn't ever make a choice to walk away from the relationship (and I understand why, but if you aren't choosing to leave, the choice is made for you, and you stumble onto someone else's lips, we never actually see her regain agency on the page). She kisses someone and then marries someone else, but we don't hear anything about how she got from point A to point B emotionally. And I wouldn't expect it at all if she hadn't brought up how difficult it would be in the first place.

Especially since her craft in the beginning 85% was so meticulous and well-written, the end felt unpolished by comparison, like she was tired and just wanted to get it done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

lisa_mirabai's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

hannibanani29's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

bethsbooketlist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - I am so glad I caught the review of this book on instagram as it just captured my interest completely and got me actively seeking this book for my shelves. I was captivated from page one and throughout Carmen's raw openness and thought processes just kept me reading. I haven't read a memoir like this before, the way she casts her eye over different things through the lens of her own experience. The subject matter of queer domestic abuse, particularly female on female, is a subject matter I have never seen actively written about in such intricacy and depth, and I am glad Carmen had the strength to open this conversation wide into the world. Because why is it so I comprehensible that abuse in a lesbian relationship can and indeed does happen, just like any relationship between two people regardless of gender. A thought provoking read that i whole heartedly recommend - I will be seeking out more of Carmen's recommendations as I feel this is a subject matter whose surface has only just been scratched! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

toffishay's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

What an amazing, powerful, interesting, and informative read. The formatting of this book pulls you in, with each "chapter" representing the story of this relationship from a different literary genre or device. I read this book so quickly and you are pulling in with every word. It is certainly emotional and I teared up more than once. This is a memoir about domestic abuse, so I would certainly look up trigger warnings. But, I find this to have been such a valuable and engaging reading experience that I absolutely have to recommend.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

cereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol