Summary

The memoir unfolds as a series of short chapters, titled after different imagined iterations of the Dream House, the author's name for the house in which her abusive relationship predominantly took place.

In “Dream House as Overture,” Machado states that she does not normally read prologues and does not understand the point of them.

In “Dream House as Prologue,” she explains the term “archival silence” (4)—a gap in the historical record that usually exists because of the marginalization of certain people. She suggests that there is an archival silence centered around abusive relationships in the queer community; the stories of queer victims of abuse are rarely told.

Part I begins with “Dream House as Not a Metaphor,” in which Machado provides a brief description of the house itself—a two bedroom home in a wooded area with backyard. In the yard is a...