In the first chapter, Machado reflects on her childhood years and tells a story about her time in grade school.

She goes on to discuss instances with her previous lovers, leading up to meeting and falling in love with "the woman in the dream house" who domestically abused her.

Throughout the work, the woman in the dream house abuses Machado; however, she is never directly named.

[9] In January/February 2020 issue of Bookmarks, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a summary stating, "The author, the NPR critic asserts, "learns to navigate her own sexuality and her writing while making sure she understands the place she occupies in a world that has always tried to erase women like her.

"[12] Similarly, Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, calling it "an affecting, chilling memoir about domestic abuse.

"[6] Parul Sehgal of The New York Times also praised the book, writing, "There is something anxious, and very intriguing, in the degree of experimentation in this memoir, in its elaborately titivated sentences, its thicket of citations.