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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Like all LaRocca stories, I’ve left this one feeling both touched and disgusted.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
True rating: 3.5
I really enjoyed the fairytale- Grimm Brothers vibes. Great writing I am just not a fan of bugs…
I really enjoyed the fairytale- Grimm Brothers vibes. Great writing I am just not a fan of bugs…
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another great book by an amazing author. Wow.
This is a story about a teenage girl who loses her father during a time of war. While living with her pregnant mother and trying to grieve her father's passing, a stranger swindles his way into their lives. You really need to go into this not knowing much and having an open mind.
From the start, I felt so uncomfortable because of the setting and disgusting descriptions. A lot of this feels almost fantastical and surreal, which took me a bit to get use to but I really enjoyed how weird it goes. By the end, I had such a huge "aha" moment and once I realized what happened..I immediately reread the very beginning to find clues and hints about things.
I think this one was deeper than Eric's other books because you are seeing things from the main characters tragic perspective. You can't help but to feel her pain and worries. Yes, Eric's other books are amazing in their own ways but this one stands out the most for me. I definitely plan on rereading it again in a few months.
It's not too often I want to immediately discuss a book right after reading it--I did with this. I DM'd friends online with, "DID YOU READ ERIC'S LATEST?!" I wanted to divulge the story and characters. So with this coming out in just a few days, I CANNOT wait for everyone to be able to read this unique, disgusting and yet beautiful story. I want to see what others think and see if it was as profound for them as it was for me.
Brava!
5/5
This is a story about a teenage girl who loses her father during a time of war. While living with her pregnant mother and trying to grieve her father's passing, a stranger swindles his way into their lives. You really need to go into this not knowing much and having an open mind.
From the start, I felt so uncomfortable because of the setting and disgusting descriptions. A lot of this feels almost fantastical and surreal, which took me a bit to get use to but I really enjoyed how weird it goes. By the end, I had such a huge "aha" moment and once I realized what happened..I immediately reread the very beginning to find clues and hints about things.
I think this one was deeper than Eric's other books because you are seeing things from the main characters tragic perspective. You can't help but to feel her pain and worries. Yes, Eric's other books are amazing in their own ways but this one stands out the most for me. I definitely plan on rereading it again in a few months.
It's not too often I want to immediately discuss a book right after reading it--I did with this. I DM'd friends online with, "DID YOU READ ERIC'S LATEST?!" I wanted to divulge the story and characters. So with this coming out in just a few days, I CANNOT wait for everyone to be able to read this unique, disgusting and yet beautiful story. I want to see what others think and see if it was as profound for them as it was for me.
Brava!
5/5
A gut-wrenching tapestry of surreal horror.
Eric LaRocca masterfully weaves together this tale of Mara, a young girl whose father dies, leaving her and mother to fend for themselves in a harsh, war-torn world where danger lurks behind every corner, both inside and outside. LaRocca's strengths lie in creating a permeating feeling of dread. The reader is dropped into Mara's point-of-view where things may not be as they seem, but whether that is due to her unreliable narration or due to the uncertainty of the world itself, you can never be sure.
The sense of atmosphere in this novella is overwhelming. Mara's home is constantly flooded with sewage and the place seems like it's falling apart. With every page, every paragraph, every little word, LaRocca conjures vivid images of this house to the point where you can practically smell the ankle-deep sewage Mara has to wade through.
It's a deeply claustrophobic story where we're stuck in this rotten house, unable to venture outside where it may or may not be even worse, which goes hand in hand with the themes of generational trauma and abuse. Tying the story's themes directly into the setting in such an intense and effective way helped drive home that feeling of dread, of feeling unable to escape and break these cycles.
This is not a story for the easily squeamish, filled with the aforementioned sewage, insects, and a smattering of gore. But I found the character of Mara to be highly compelling, and LaRocca's grotesque yet beautifully imagery captivated me from the first page to the last.
Eric LaRocca masterfully weaves together this tale of Mara, a young girl whose father dies, leaving her and mother to fend for themselves in a harsh, war-torn world where danger lurks behind every corner, both inside and outside. LaRocca's strengths lie in creating a permeating feeling of dread. The reader is dropped into Mara's point-of-view where things may not be as they seem, but whether that is due to her unreliable narration or due to the uncertainty of the world itself, you can never be sure.
The sense of atmosphere in this novella is overwhelming. Mara's home is constantly flooded with sewage and the place seems like it's falling apart. With every page, every paragraph, every little word, LaRocca conjures vivid images of this house to the point where you can practically smell the ankle-deep sewage Mara has to wade through.
It's a deeply claustrophobic story where we're stuck in this rotten house, unable to venture outside where it may or may not be even worse, which goes hand in hand with the themes of generational trauma and abuse. Tying the story's themes directly into the setting in such an intense and effective way helped drive home that feeling of dread, of feeling unable to escape and break these cycles.
This is not a story for the easily squeamish, filled with the aforementioned sewage, insects, and a smattering of gore. But I found the character of Mara to be highly compelling, and LaRocca's grotesque yet beautifully imagery captivated me from the first page to the last.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
such an odd little story. the writing was great, so descriptive and nasty my skin was crawling the entire read
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced