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A review by house_of_hannah
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Thank you so much to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This is a reprint of a book from a few years back called The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales. It seems like a lot of LaRocca's books are getting reprints lately. I know some of his stories are harder to find, so this is definitely making them more accessible. Be aware going into this collection that most of the stories will at least mention the topic of cancer.
This is quite a cohesive collection of stories. There aren't a lot of characters in most of them, so it's a really personal and intimate exploration on the bonds of those closest to us. We have a huge range of emotions that are expressed from love, grief, hate, and everything inbetween. Nothing is straightforward, and humans are very complicated.
The following are the titles included in this collection, and my individual rating.
You Follow Wherever They Go - A father with cancer urges his child to introduce himself to the other children. 5 Stars
Bodies are for Burning - A woman struggles with intrusive thoughts about setting people on fire. 4 Stars
The Strange Thing We Become - A woman's wife is diagnosed with cancer, but that's about all I understand. It's told in the format of forum posts. 2.5 Stars
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There - A woman physically gives up pieces of herself to her lover, but he is not appreciative of what she’s sacrificed. 4 Stars
You’re Not Supposed to Be Here - Similar to the description of the book The Chain. 4 Stars
Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass - A father on vacation with his daughter encounters a strange man who claims to be clairvoyant. 4 Stars
I’ll Be Gone By Then - A woman who has run away from her past in Italy must take in her elderly mother that she hasn't seen in years. 3 Stars
Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You - A son develops inappropriate feelings towards his elderly father. 2 Stars
Averaged together my rating comes out to 3.56 stars. As you can see there were hits and misses for me here, which is always the case in a short story collection. Some endings, like the last story, were just a bit too abrupt, and I feel like the meaning was a little lost on me. Overall though I think this is a very successful collection that horror lovers will continue to pick up for years to come.
This is a reprint of a book from a few years back called The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales. It seems like a lot of LaRocca's books are getting reprints lately. I know some of his stories are harder to find, so this is definitely making them more accessible. Be aware going into this collection that most of the stories will at least mention the topic of cancer.
This is quite a cohesive collection of stories. There aren't a lot of characters in most of them, so it's a really personal and intimate exploration on the bonds of those closest to us. We have a huge range of emotions that are expressed from love, grief, hate, and everything inbetween. Nothing is straightforward, and humans are very complicated.
The following are the titles included in this collection, and my individual rating.
You Follow Wherever They Go - A father with cancer urges his child to introduce himself to the other children. 5 Stars
Bodies are for Burning - A woman struggles with intrusive thoughts about setting people on fire. 4 Stars
The Strange Thing We Become - A woman's wife is diagnosed with cancer, but that's about all I understand. It's told in the format of forum posts. 2.5 Stars
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There - A woman physically gives up pieces of herself to her lover, but he is not appreciative of what she’s sacrificed. 4 Stars
You’re Not Supposed to Be Here - Similar to the description of the book The Chain. 4 Stars
Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass - A father on vacation with his daughter encounters a strange man who claims to be clairvoyant. 4 Stars
I’ll Be Gone By Then - A woman who has run away from her past in Italy must take in her elderly mother that she hasn't seen in years. 3 Stars
Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You - A son develops inappropriate feelings towards his elderly father. 2 Stars
Averaged together my rating comes out to 3.56 stars. As you can see there were hits and misses for me here, which is always the case in a short story collection. Some endings, like the last story, were just a bit too abrupt, and I feel like the meaning was a little lost on me. Overall though I think this is a very successful collection that horror lovers will continue to pick up for years to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Kidnapping, and Grief