Scan barcode
A review by ginamc
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The story follows a young lesbian, Agnes, as she descends into a kind of madness. She's enabled, or perhaps her madness can be blamed on Zoe, a person Agnes connects with online after listing a family heirloom for sale on a forum.
It's a quick story but the format makes it feel like it's going on forever, as if there's no end to the spiraling downwards and you're eagerly affixed to the possible outcomes of this diabolical parasocial relationship.
But is any of it real? The only evidence we have is the format itself: email exchanges and IM conversations presented as though they were part of evidence of an ongoing trial. Otherwise, it's wholly plausible that we're just in Agnes’ head. It's all completely fanatstical. Illusion.
This may be one of the more disturbing fictional works I've read. There's something insanely sickening about being mesmerized by a story of this nature. Something about the psychology of human … endurance? To what lengths will we go for whatever reason that drives us, consumes us at a given moment?
While I give this a high rating, I don't know that I can recommend it as a casual read. If you're already into the level of psychological (and body) horror of, say, the film American Psycho or even Silence of the Lambs, then you may appreciate this novella.
It's a quick story but the format makes it feel like it's going on forever, as if there's no end to the spiraling downwards and you're eagerly affixed to the possible outcomes of this diabolical parasocial relationship.
But is any of it real? The only evidence we have is the format itself: email exchanges and IM conversations presented as though they were part of evidence of an ongoing trial. Otherwise, it's wholly plausible that we're just in Agnes’ head. It's all completely fanatstical. Illusion.
This may be one of the more disturbing fictional works I've read. There's something insanely sickening about being mesmerized by a story of this nature. Something about the psychology of human … endurance? To what lengths will we go for whatever reason that drives us, consumes us at a given moment?
While I give this a high rating, I don't know that I can recommend it as a casual read. If you're already into the level of psychological (and body) horror of, say, the film American Psycho or even Silence of the Lambs, then you may appreciate this novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis