She can be dreadfully cruel and physically destructive, sometimes without provocation. Sadly, the idyllic atmosphere quickly shatters because Machado's girlfriend is prone to violent outbursts and often engages in emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse. The place is pretty, cozy, and they are in it together.

Most of the story takes place in a beautiful small house in Bloomington, Indiana, where Machado and her nameless girlfriend start living together shortly after they meet. The first element that makes In the Dream House so inventive is that most of it is written in the second person. That said, the total is more than the sum of its parts and In the Dream House is the kind of book that burrows under the reader's skin while simultaneously forcing her to inhabit the body of the writer.

However, just below the surface, the narrative continually shapeshifts and at times becomes a play, an academic look at female queerness in mainstream media, a choose your own adventure book, and a sharp deconstruction of the mechanisms of psychological abuse. On its surface, the book recounts a psychologically abusive relationship that marked Machado's life in many ways. How?Ĭarmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House is the most innovative memoir I've ever read. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title In the Dream House Subtitle A Memoir Author Carmen Maria Machado

Carmen in the dreamhouse