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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
A worm doesn’t listen to a grasshopper.
Yikes! But I mean that in a complimentary way. Mostly? Gosh, this was weird, probably weirder than the first book I read by this author, and for a long while I thought it a bit incoherent and not as cohesive as I'd have liked. It's told through excerpts of a novella, audio recordings by the author, diary entries (?) and poetry, as well as with the added insight of some footnotes. It was made clear what the connection was between all these things, but it wasn't until the end that it really started working and clicking for me. The novella portions had a lot of gross body horror and unexplained weirdness, and that sorta thing is right up my alley, but I still found the novella to be the weakest part of the book. It's told (very deliberately) in a really distinct, kinda choppy style, and I found that a bit hard to parse. It was really fascinating though, especially when we get certain reveals. My favourite parts were the audio recordings, and the fact that we get Martyr's interjections and reactions after the fact. Just a bunch of really weird, sometimes interesting, often fucked up conversations, and I love how it all comes to really satisfying conclusion. For a very specific definition of 'satisfying'.
Yeah. Pretty fucked up! I'd read it again.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
murder, gore, blood, eye trauma, body horrorStorytelling is an art form, and it belongs to no one.
This book was so weird lol. As to be expected from Eric LaRocca, and part of why I've loved both books I've read from them. There's just something unique and twisty about their writing style that I really enjoy. This one in particular made me feel like I had no idea what was going on the whole time and I had a great time trying to figure it out. I just wish there was more! The novella within the book was fascinating, but I wish we could have read more about Martyr Black and his partner. That was the only thing that seemed to be lacking from the story for me.
I decided to read this short novella to figure out if I wanted to read LaRocca's other work. Another review said it perfectly: no plot, just vibes. What's going on in this book and how does it connect together? No idea. But the writing is excellent.
And yes - it did convince me to read LaRocca's other books, so job well done.
And yes - it did convince me to read LaRocca's other books, so job well done.
upon 2 months of reflection i believe i actually liked this book my brain was just fried and traumatised afterwards. 3.5 ⭐️
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
this was horrifying and i thought it was great
i preferred the short stories/transcripts/poems to the novella, but the overall story was weaved so wonderfully together. i loved the writing, eric laroca’s style has only gotten more refined since THGWSWLS. i adore them and i will read absolutely everything they put out.
i preferred the short stories/transcripts/poems to the novella, but the overall story was weaved so wonderfully together. i loved the writing, eric laroca’s style has only gotten more refined since THGWSWLS. i adore them and i will read absolutely everything they put out.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finishing this book on Friday the 13th just feels right
You’ve lost a lot of Blood is my first Eric LaRocca novel and it won’t be my last. This was so bizarre and the kind of horror that I absolutely love: it was gory and had multiple queer characters. I was enraptured by what was written even as I was horrified. I cannot wait to try more of their books.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A