In the Dream House

This chapter uses the relationship between Machado’s mother’s dogs, Greta and Gibby, as a foil for Machado’s relationship with her partner: After Gibby dies, Greta experiences extreme grief and apathy. In contrast, Machado increasingly would like to escape her relationship. She does not know how to address Greta’s grief while dogsitting her.

Machado and her partner visit New York over the winter. At the Brooklyn Museum, Machado is interested in finding an escape from her depression and anxiety. She is drawn to an exhibit by Félix Gonzàlez-Torres that features piles of candy that guests can take. The candy represents his partner, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991. Machado participates in the exhibit by eating some of the candy; this enrages her partner for reasons Machado can’t decipher.

Machado’s partner announces that she plans to reapply to Iowa’s MFA program so that the two of them can live together. Instead of expressing the fear that this inspires in her; instead, Machado helps her partner with her application by giving feedback on her stories. One story features a man who destroys his relationships through jealousy. Machado thinks it’s “pretty good.”