In the Dream House: A Memoir
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Book Overview
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.Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1644450380
ISBN13:9781644450383
Release Date:December 2020
Publisher:Graywolf Press
Length:272 Pages
Weight:0.79 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Exquisite writing
Published by June , 15 days ago
I feel that any woman can relate to this, though it specifically addresses abuse in a lesbian relationship. Machado’s writing and imagery is just beautiful. It’s a keeper and worth reading more than once.
Feeling like a jerk rating this so low but ….
Published by Hollie , 1 month ago
I did not like this book very much. Appreciated the perspective and voice of the author but found the main character whiney and annoying. A slow read mostly because it couldn’t keep my attention.
Was a book club pick for me so maybe I’m just the wrong audience.
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