Showing posts with label Eric LaRocca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eric LaRocca. Show all posts

Thursday, March 23, 2023

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca

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The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric Larocca - 220 pages


Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…


I am a fan of horror and can stand to read some pretty messed up things but a couple of stories in this book had me thinking to myself "What did I just read?"  I liked the uniqueness of these stories, that's a plus for me, but some were just too much.  I didn't mind the first couple of stories, but the further along I got in the book the further off board I became.  I think my line in the sand was [*spoiler alert*] a story where a lady had dark thoughts of hurting people with fire.  She watches her one year old niece and has thoughts of different ways to burn her.  She catches herself just before she burns the girl's hand on the gas stove.  I won't spoil the ending in case anyone wants to read this.


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Saturday, October 15, 2022

Things Have Gotten Worse Since Last We Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Things Have Gotten Worse Since Last We Spoke by Eric LaRocca, 112 pages

From the MARC: "Sadomasochism. Obsession. Death. A whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s -- a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires. What have you done today to deserve your eyes?"

This novella was a weird journey; I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I completed it. Usually that's a good indicator of an interesting read, but in this case, it's more a combination of confusion and revulsion. I can appreciate ambiguity in an ending, but I came away supremely unsatisfied. I will not be revisiting this book.