In “Difficult at Parties,” a woman experiences a sexual trauma and, while trying to rebuild her sex life with her partner, can suddenly hear the internal thoughts of actors in porn videos. Machado takes otherworldly scenarios and brings them into our world to critique the intricacies of the feminine experience. “Difficult at Parties” begins in the aftermath of a home invasion/rape, and circles around the main character who needs to re-set her own emotional boundaries. These boundaries which are repeatedly dismissed and violated by her boyfriend in his attempts to help her. Machado’s execution and word selection when telling us how the character feels after being raped is incredibly powerful. She doesn’t give us courtroom scenes or medical exams, simply the tiny moments that add up to the day after, the week after, the month after, when your body has healed but fear and fury sit just under your skin. When people you do know expect you to get over it, and people who don’t know are confused when you flinch at their touch. It’s a triggering story for some women but takes the protagonist in enough odd directions that it’s still readable, but difficult to swallow.