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A review by whatyoutolkienabout
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories by Eric LaRocca
5.0
I want to start by thanking Netgalley for an ARC of this title to review. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #NetGalley #TheTreesGrewBecauseIBledThere #EricLaRocca #BookReview #ARCReview
I will start by saying that I enjoy horror and dark fiction but this collection will not be for everyone. There are very dark themes here that deal with trauma, tragedy and forms of mental health as well as mental and physical abuse. It is not for the faint hearted.
That said I enjoyed the collection because it superbly demonstrates the fragility of humans and their humanity. It deals with fears and worries that many of us may have and looks at the ultimate extremes to see just what could cause a person to break. One of the reasons I love the genre of horror so much is the ability to do just this. To question what it means to be human, what makes someone or something a monster and what makes something an hero? Is it black and white and clear cut? The answer often in horror as real life is no.
On top of this exploration by LaRocca the prose is perfectly set in tone and style to the genre and the stories being told throughout. It’s dark, often gritty but it works. I was unable to put this one down when I started and while not every story was an instant five star they all stuck with me long after reading which for me is the sign of a good story.
A definite must read if you love horror, but this isn’t at all afraid of being dark and going to places some authors may fear to tread and for me that made this collection even better.
I will start by saying that I enjoy horror and dark fiction but this collection will not be for everyone. There are very dark themes here that deal with trauma, tragedy and forms of mental health as well as mental and physical abuse. It is not for the faint hearted.
That said I enjoyed the collection because it superbly demonstrates the fragility of humans and their humanity. It deals with fears and worries that many of us may have and looks at the ultimate extremes to see just what could cause a person to break. One of the reasons I love the genre of horror so much is the ability to do just this. To question what it means to be human, what makes someone or something a monster and what makes something an hero? Is it black and white and clear cut? The answer often in horror as real life is no.
On top of this exploration by LaRocca the prose is perfectly set in tone and style to the genre and the stories being told throughout. It’s dark, often gritty but it works. I was unable to put this one down when I started and while not every story was an instant five star they all stuck with me long after reading which for me is the sign of a good story.
A definite must read if you love horror, but this isn’t at all afraid of being dark and going to places some authors may fear to tread and for me that made this collection even better.