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In the Dream House
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Carmen Maria Machado
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
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In the Dream House
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Publisher's Summary
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.
What listeners say about In the Dream House
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lauren Venegas
- 2023-02-18
Beautiful and heartbreaking
This was totally different than anything I’ve ever read and I was so excited for that. It was soothing, heartbreaking, melancholy.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2022-12-05
Liked the writing
Great way to tell a story, I liked it.
I’m not surprised to hear there is domestic abuse in same sex relationships, but saddened by it nonetheless. And glad there is a book like this to give validation to those needing it. Glad she got out. A good listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carol Barnes
- 2021-09-09
Stunning to listen to
I love this audiobook.
When I first started to listen to it I wondered how it was written in these brief chapters and how it would come together. After awhile I saw the brilliance in that.
It brought some knowledge that should be apparent to me but somehow you think in gay relationship there’s nothing but sheer bliss. I have a gay nephew who lives with his man and hear that they fight a lot. I thought to myself “how cute “ and just figure it must be nothing serious. Why would I assume that.
So this listen opened up my eyes and I realize things can go wrong in any relationship.
I love Carmens voice. She tells the story with such grace and such a melodious voice that I wish to listen to it always.
Definitely a book I would love to read as well just to absorb the full story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TAC
- 2020-06-21
Beautiful and devastating
Carmen Maria Machado reading her memoir of domestic abuse was spellbinding. Many stories within a story, woven seamlessly with moments of film, history, and research. Heart-thumping narrative, balanced by soothing self reflection.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-05-29
An Act of Love
This memoir is an intelligent, highly creative, committed, courageous, exposing, tender, and vulnerable act of love from the author toward herself, and toward anyone who reads/recieves this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Micheal A. Worby
- 2021-10-11
Effervescent, gorgeous, dark, and ugly.
Tremendous and effective, places you in a beautiful nightmare of cruel, malignant pain and transcendent affection.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Holly
- 2021-09-20
Interesting and educational
It was written in such a unique way and in the beginning I wasn’t sure I would love it. As I continued on it was very captivating. You could tell this was full of true emotions. It truly showed how abuse evolved in a lesbian relationship. It was a beautiful, devastating and educational book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liv
- 2020-11-14
In the Dream House
My God, this was a gift to listen to.
Machado uses the many chapters, titled as genres, signifying both the fracturing nature of the abuse and the need to make sense of things by categorizing them.
With a lilting, rhythmical voice she conveys her story. With sharp, precise words, she breaks apart so many assumptions society has: metaphors, cliches, caricatures that shape our understanding of relationships, abuse and queerness. With lovingly crafted imagery, she unlocks the chests of our biases, revealing how much absolute nonsense we've left unexamined.
Her voice is so vulnerable the entire time and in its softness articulates so many indignities, pain, fear and grief. Listening to the audiobook felt like she'd slipped into my own body and gently pressed all the inexpressable places we both hurt. And through it, her ability to describe things with a poet's brush just made me ache for and admire the enduring beauty of her character.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Martine
- 2023-01-23
Incredibly moving
Couldn’t stop listening to this. The author is incredible and it was amazing to hear her narrate her own book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 2021-07-07
such an important book
Beautiful lyrical writing. A super important voice. Amazing narration by the author. It reads like fiction because of how beautifully written it is but it is so real and raw. So worth the read. 🤍😢
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