In the Dream House
Emotional
Heartbreaking
Profound

In the Dream House A Memoir

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.
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Reviews

Photo of Anna Oeltjenbruns
Anna Oeltjenbruns@annaoel
5 stars
Nov 28, 2024
This review contains a spoiler
Photo of Air
Air@airhorn
Emotional
Expressive
Thought provoking
Photo of Abbi Brown
Abbi Brown @abbi_brown
5 stars
Nov 7, 2024
Profound
Compelling
Conceptual
Fascinating
Extraordinary
Photo of Chloé
Chloé@misslola44
5 stars
Nov 2, 2024
Dark
Deep
Vivid
Unique
Candid
Profound
Visionary
Compelling
Depressing
Unforgettable
Unpredictable
Photo of mara
mara@moonmaara
5 stars
Oct 2, 2024
Photo of k
k@winterlight
5 stars
Sep 10, 2024
Eloquent
Profound
Emotional
Awe-inspiring
Photo of Kiran Aftab
Kiran Aftab@sworddesired
5 stars
Jul 10, 2024
Photo of Greer Andersson
Greer Andersson@greersbooknook
5 stars
May 11, 2024
Photo of iris
iris @irismli
5 stars
May 3, 2024
Photo of Fenix Voliton
Fenix Voliton @fenotphoe
4 stars
Apr 23, 2024
Photo of Clara Gauthier
Clara Gauthier@cegauthier
5 stars
Apr 10, 2024
Profound
Beautiful
Extraordinary
Photo of Nisindi
Nisindi@alwaysburned_out
5 stars
Mar 13, 2024
Photo of Isabella
Isabella @iscbella
5 stars
Mar 13, 2024
Photo of Sonia Grgas
Sonia Grgas@sg911911
3 stars
Feb 23, 2024
Photo of JoAnna
JoAnna@lilipuddingdog
4 stars
Feb 21, 2024
Photo of Ned Summers
Ned Summers @nedsu
5 stars
Jan 31, 2024
Photo of Jasmine Ghartey
Jasmine Ghartey@jasssreads
5 stars
Jan 27, 2024
Photo of cleo
cleo@homoerotix
4.5 stars
Jan 21, 2024
Honest
Compelling
Conceptual
Photo of laetitia
laetitia@llaetitia
5 stars
Jan 21, 2024
Photo of Xiang
Xiang@xiaoming
5 stars
Jan 8, 2024
Photo of anita
anita@bayonetta
5 stars
Jan 8, 2024
Photo of Cassie B
Cassie B@partialtruth
4 stars
Jan 1, 2024
Photo of M. Marques
M. Marques@shvvffle
5 stars
Dec 18, 2023
Photo of Will Vunderink
Will Vunderink@willvunderink
3 stars
Dec 18, 2023

Highlights

Photo of Anna Oeltjenbruns
Anna Oeltjenbruns@annaoel
Photo of mara
mara@moonmaara
Photo of mara
mara@moonmaara
Photo of Marion R
Marion R@mariorugu
Photo of Marion R
Marion R@mariorugu
Photo of Clara Gauthier
Clara Gauthier@cegauthier
Page 242
Photo of Clara Gauthier
Clara Gauthier@cegauthier
Page 13
Photo of j.
j.@lechetea
Page 13
Photo of cleo
cleo@homoerotix
Page 48
Photo of cleo
cleo@homoerotix
Page 46
Photo of Alli
Alli@maybeitsalli
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 148
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 138
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 112
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 47
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 24
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 14
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 9
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 4
Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
Page 0
Photo of margot colville
margot colville@margotcolv
Page 94
Photo of margot colville
margot colville@margotcolv
Page 92
Photo of margot colville
margot colville@margotcolv
Page 86
Photo of margot colville
margot colville@margotcolv
Page 82