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A review by dejnozkova
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Aaaaahhhh this was such a beautifully written memoir!! Carmen Maria Machado’s imaginative prose and immersive narrative style plunges you into the relentless tide of confusion, passion and pain of the abuse she has suffered while sprinkling sharp wit in all the right places; I was fully engaged with this memoir and finished the audiobook in less than a day. I barely let it sit. She is an analytical writer and I fully appreciate her providing cultural and historical context for her memoir, as it does cover a very tricky and painful subject.
I think she does an incredible job of emphasizing the paradox she has been presented with in making the decision to openly discuss how same-sex abuse has impacted her life. She faces the issue of wanting to be a voice calling out of a sea of silenced others like her, but not wanting to paint the queer community in a negative light or perpetuate damaging stereotypes about gay women. She works through this by giving us a well-rounded history and analysis surrounding queer women and their relationships, addressing different angles at which to view the topic of sapphic abuse. As she shares her story she cites academic, literary, musical, and cinematic works that speak to her experience —how abuse is generally perceived, how gender and sexuality factor into this already messy and taboo subject, in what ways abuse manifests and how it’s understood by the heteronormative world, the hurricane of emotions that the victim is burdened with, and the psychology of an abusive dynamic and how it works (especially when you throw womanhood x2, queerness, and bisexuality into the mix).
This is an important work representing the quiet struggle of many queer women, but I especially appreciate getting such an artful, vulnerable account from a fellow bisexual woman specifically, because bi women do experience disproportionately high rates of abuse and distrust from their partners. I am thankful I have never had to live through what Carmen Maria Machado has, but I am grateful to hear a bisexual woman’s story and to be aware of what she has faced, and to see how her experience —the experience of a woman whose sexual and gender identity is not much different from mine— fits into the elusive archive of queer history and speaks to an issue that quietly permeates our community.
Gorgeously written, remarkably informative, and will leave a lasting impression on me without a doubt. Wishing her the best on her personal growth and recovery 💖
I think she does an incredible job of emphasizing the paradox she has been presented with in making the decision to openly discuss how same-sex abuse has impacted her life. She faces the issue of wanting to be a voice calling out of a sea of silenced others like her, but not wanting to paint the queer community in a negative light or perpetuate damaging stereotypes about gay women. She works through this by giving us a well-rounded history and analysis surrounding queer women and their relationships, addressing different angles at which to view the topic of sapphic abuse. As she shares her story she cites academic, literary, musical, and cinematic works that speak to her experience —how abuse is generally perceived, how gender and sexuality factor into this already messy and taboo subject, in what ways abuse manifests and how it’s understood by the heteronormative world, the hurricane of emotions that the victim is burdened with, and the psychology of an abusive dynamic and how it works (especially when you throw womanhood x2, queerness, and bisexuality into the mix).
This is an important work representing the quiet struggle of many queer women, but I especially appreciate getting such an artful, vulnerable account from a fellow bisexual woman specifically, because bi women do experience disproportionately high rates of abuse and distrust from their partners. I am thankful I have never had to live through what Carmen Maria Machado has, but I am grateful to hear a bisexual woman’s story and to be aware of what she has faced, and to see how her experience —the experience of a woman whose sexual and gender identity is not much different from mine— fits into the elusive archive of queer history and speaks to an issue that quietly permeates our community.
Gorgeously written, remarkably informative, and will leave a lasting impression on me without a doubt. Wishing her the best on her personal growth and recovery 💖