In the Dream House- A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado
A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado's engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming. And it's that struggle that gives the book its original structure- each chapter is driven by its own narrative trope—the haunted house, erotica, the bildungsroman—through which Machado holds the events up to the light and examines them from different angles. She looks back at her religious adolescence, unpacks the stereotype of lesbian relationships as safe and utopian, and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships. Machado's dire narrative is leavened with her characteristic wit, playfulness, and openness to inquiry. She casts a critical eye over legal proceedings, fairy tales, Star Trek, and Disney villains, as well as iconic works of film and fiction. The result is a wrenching, riveting book that explodes our ideas about what a memoir can do and be.
- Suggested age range- Adult
- Format- Paperback
- Product dimensions- 5.5" W x 8.1" H x 0.8" D
- Genre- Biography
- Publisher- Graywolf Press, Publication date- 12-01-2020
- Page count- 272
- ISBN- 9781644450383
Web ID: 11774808
Abuse between women told honestly, creatively
Carmen Maria Machado has written a memoir in fragments that adds up to a clear and wholistic story of her experience in a psychologically abusive lesbian relationship. This is a powerful story, skillfully told in the second person, with scenes building chronologically as well as metaphorically. I kept reading what might have been an uncomfortable story because the author tells it in such a creative way. That she also brings in knowledge of the research on domestic abuse between women and the lesbian community’s varying reactions to domestic abuse makes it all the more richly layered.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Haunting, Horrific, Beautiful
I agree with other readers that it is difficult, almost impossible, to rate memoirs. But I will say that this memoir is really dang beautiful. I read the audiobook narrated by the author, which is one of my absolutely favorite ways to consume non-fiction literature. It was haunting and informative and tense. Highly recommend.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
haunt you with its powerful verse
I absolutely loved the way this book was written. It is not a chapter book but rather small snippets of thoughts, places, people, and situations. I think if this book had been written in longer chapters, it would have been too depressing and daunting to read. That this women was able to overcome such a horrific situation is empowering. It is too bad that people who hurt, hurt other people but that is how life works. Even written as small snippets this book will still haunt you with its powerful verse.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A haunting memoir
Dream House as Reality. You tried to tell your story to people who didn't know how to listen. You made a fool of yourself, in more ways than one. I thought you died, but writing this, I'm not sure you did. In the Dream House is a memoir showing domestic abuse in a queer relationship. The author describes her trauma in poetic prose that is so freaking haunting. Every aspect of her story resonated so deeply with me, and there's a reminder here that being queer doesn't make you good or bad. It just makes you queer, and you're able to fall for the same mistakes that anyone else could - include falling in love with a monster and staying in an abusive relationship.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com