#BookReview ‘Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke’ by Eric LaRocca

About the book…

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?

I was sent this copy of the glorious hardcover, in my monthly Abominable Book Club package which is a monthly subscription box with a minimum of 3 books/zines/second hand books depending on the package you choose.

I received a signed-yes, signed!-edition of ‘Things have gotten worse…’ which contains 3 of the most equisite, and disturbing, short stories (almost novellas)that I have read in many a year.

Misfortunes is a subtle understatement when delving into the horror and ramifications of identity, loss and wanting to belong which thread these stories together.

In the first, titular story, a relationship initially developed from a wanted ad, creates a sense of intimacy and knowledge which is not always possible when meeting in the physical flesh. The distance between yourself and the people you are conversing with is paradoxically widened, and narrowed, by the potential to re-invent yourself and to compel other lonely souls to do your bidding. What begins as a cautious dance , escalates into a folie a deux with, at its core (pun intended) an antique apple peeler. Please don’t google what one looks like, before reading the story, let your imagination roam first, is what I would advise. The story takes the form of internet chatroom conversations being used as evidence of some criminal act, therefore some of the details are redacted, making you feel both voyeur to their relationship as well as judge on the appropriateness of this form of communication. As the layers are built up, their defences are peeled away leaving both women raw, and vulnerable. Or are they?#

The second tale, The Enchantment, takes a grieving couple whose child has died under horrific circumstances, and places them on an island with an abandoned hotel, limited access and plenty of time to think over their son’s last exhortation to them both. Who then, is the man who knocks upon their door? And what is his purpose? Exploring religious allegory alongside the notion of birth, rebirth and the acceptance of death, this tale creates a claustrophobic tension in the space between the two parents whilst widening out the vista of possibilities with the arrival of a second male. It is subtly beautiful whilst being simultaneously horrifying.

The final tale, You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over, is again a story of morals verus morality, and the societal pressure to be polite having consequences which are extremely far reaching, In the attempt to do the right thing, oftentimes, more damage can be wreaked and the cumulative nature of what happens after finding a fragment of bone in his garden, will haunt both him and the reader alike.

You are never entirely sure where Eric LaRocca is taking you, and what impact each story will have as an impact on your sleeping hours will change from reader to reader, and yet, you are quite happy to let him take you by the hand, lead you down a very dark alley and when he tells you to open your eyes, will you?

I did and I absolutely do not regret it, his is one of the most exciting new voices in horror for a very long time.

About the author…

Eric LaRocca (he/they) is the author of several works of horror and dark fiction, including the viral sensation Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke.

He is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and currently resides in Boston, MA with his partner.

Links-https://ericlarocca.com/

Twitter @hystericteeth @TitanBooks @TalkScaredPod

You can listen to Eric being interviewed on the highly recommended and rather brilliant, Talking Scared Podcast here