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A review by sarasoleil
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
5.0
"They just need to want something, and not care how they get it."
TW: Abuse
It feels strange to say that I love a memoir about abuse, but I'm not as eloquent as Carmen Maria Machado, so I'll try my hardest to explain it. I admire how at times the wording seems almost vulgar, yet she's still incredibly good at setting the scene and making you feel and picture the words. This is probably the second piece of queer nonfiction I've ever read (The Laramie Project being the first), and I just really... admire? Appreciate? Understand? How she put into words the need for queer relationships to be seemingly perfect in order to be seen as real and deserving, but how abuse, racism, and transphobia in the queer community aren't as open to discussion as they should be. I really hope writing this book gave her at least a little bit of solace in terms of how the Dream House may still affect her because it gave me clarity and knowledge that I didn't have when it came to general queerness and non-physical abuse. I'm so glad to have read this.
TW: Abuse
It feels strange to say that I love a memoir about abuse, but I'm not as eloquent as Carmen Maria Machado, so I'll try my hardest to explain it. I admire how at times the wording seems almost vulgar, yet she's still incredibly good at setting the scene and making you feel and picture the words. This is probably the second piece of queer nonfiction I've ever read (The Laramie Project being the first), and I just really... admire? Appreciate? Understand? How she put into words the need for queer relationships to be seemingly perfect in order to be seen as real and deserving, but how abuse, racism, and transphobia in the queer community aren't as open to discussion as they should be. I really hope writing this book gave her at least a little bit of solace in terms of how the Dream House may still affect her because it gave me clarity and knowledge that I didn't have when it came to general queerness and non-physical abuse. I'm so glad to have read this.