I was really excited to read In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. I'm currently 30 pages in, and it isn't grabbing me.
I was very intrigued by the blurb which states "each chapter views her experience through a different narrative lens", but so far I'm not really getting that, and I'm not sure if I'm missing something. I was expecting more of a mix of genres but each chapter seems to be written in a rather uniform way so far. It doesn't help that I'm finding the writing style a bit irritating, it feels very "I did this. She did that. We then did this". Like there's something about it that feels very detached and it's making it hard to get into it.
Does it just take a while to get into, or is it more likely the case that if it hasn't grabbed me by now, then it's probably not for me?
by HeyThereFancypants-
3 Comments
I think the detachment makes sense once you get a little further into the story of the relationship. It’s more like she’s analyzing it through a different narrative lens in each chapter rather than choosing a different narrative voice. I found it to be a rewarding read, but you might just not respond to the style.
Couldn’t get into this one either.
Been a while since I read it, but there’s a chapter that’s written in a choose your own adventure format. Things continue to escalate as the story progresses and it gets pretty dark, and there’s some interesting commentary about lesbian relationships. I’d give it another 30 pages before giving up.