A review by worlds_to_conquer
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

It took a few chapters to understand the metaphor of the Dream House, but once you understand fully, you realise how beautifully tragic it all is.

I unfortunately relate to Carmen with aspects of her relationship which is something I was fearful of reading about before going into the book, but it just reinforced my mind of what I went through. You think you know the signs of abuse, but you don’t learn what it’s like coming from a woman when you are a woman yourself. I appreciated the historical insight to queer domestic abuse too and how little has been exposed before. I also enjoyed the different genres featured. It felt like the story was only possibly understood through the use of certain genres like Choose Your Own Adventure. I’m so glad I got to read this book and so glad Carmen got her own fairy tale ending in the end.