Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House and the Representation of Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Carmen Maria Machado’s autobiographical memoir In the Dream House (2019) addresses, in the form of an inventive narrative, domestic abuse in lesbian relationships. In this collection of small chapters, the author describes a total of 141 of her own experiences as a victim of Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence as, for her, “the Dream House was never just the Dream House.” This paper will examine how Machado challenges stereotypes, sheds light on the complexity of abuse dynamics, and contributes significantly to the discourse on domestic violence, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, debunking the myths around the idea that lesbian relationships are idyllic.