Reviews

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca

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schuster_s's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is three short stories about the "indescribable itch to connect with someone, something."

The first novella is disturbing in a good way. Two women trying to find connection online in a queer community board. One is pushing the boundaries of her dark desires, and the other one just wants to feel loved in any way possible. How badly someone wants something shows us how far they will go to get it, whether that's a human baby, or just a tapeworm.

The second novella was great. I would love to see a film adaptation of this. An estranged couple get a note from their son who commits suicide reading: "If you and dad love me as much as you say you do, you'll stay together after this...No matter what." We then travel with them to a seasonal hotel on an island off the coast of New England. ON their first night, a traveler appears. He seems to be the long lost son of the husband, and soon the wife feels as though he's not a human, but an angel with a message from their dead son.

The final story is about a man who finds a bone with his neighbor's initials on it. When he goes to ask him about it, he ends up getting caught in a series of bets. As he completes the challenges successfully, racking up more cash, the challenges get stranger. How far will he go to appease this man and be a polite gentleman?

I think this was a quick read and a nice suspenseful book. This made me uncomfortable in the best way possible, and it reminds me that being polite isn't what's always best, and that I should remember that people on the internet get to wear a mask 24/7... their intentions are not always what's best for the viewer/reader.

Content Warnings

jet_nebula's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

jn16's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jaidenrogers's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

thelexrose's review against another edition

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2.0

All three stories seemed to follow the same trajectory for me. Intrigue followed by abrupt disappointment.

First one (the titular "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke") was the most memorable, but also seemed to just be upsetting for upsetting's sake. Eric LaRocca is very talented at conjuring disturbing imagery, but there really seems to be no organic place for it in this story. The characters are emailing back and forth and one them will just out of the blue go "Hey, here's a fucked up story I heard" and then proceed to detail the most disgusting unrelated tale of animal and/or child death you've ever laid your eyes on. Meh.

Second story felt more cinematic but, again, just crashed and burned towards the ending.

Third story had a good sense of tension and escalation... that also fell flat.

Maybe I'll circle back with LaRocca when they're a little more seasoned. Not sure I want to go through an entire novel of his only to be met with the same dissatisfaction.