In the Dream House

"Like many women I know, I’m guilty of having said something like “Life would be so much easier if I were a lesbian” at least once. But in this memoir, Carmen Maria Machado recounts how the stereotype of the lesbian relationship as safe and utopian, and the lack of existing narratives about queer domestic abuse, kept her from recognizing her own psychologically abusive relationship with her ex-girlfriend for what it was. In The Dream House is a stunning, brave, inventive work, yes, but it’s also a historical document that can’t be erased, that says: This happened. It’s not an easy book to read, but it’s a necessary one."

"Carmen Maria Machado's "In the Dream House," which has stayed with me the way few books do. I've returned to it again and again."

"Other books I've enjoyed lately include "In the Dream House," by Carmen Maria Machado."