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gildaylw 's review for:
Everything the Darkness Eats
by Eric LaRocca
1.5 rounded up… may be my first 1 star. As far as a horror story goes this one is fine, basically Nos4a2 but for old people. But other details line up, kidnappings, magic car, old man who can magically heal himself, trying to take his victims to a better place, largely the same plot but whatever.
The real issue with this book is the intense amount of violence the EXCLUSIVELY happens to queer characters. Literally nothing bad happens to any character that is heterosexual, and thats not an overstatement. On the other hand the queer characters are ALL repeatedly beaten, r-ped, and tortured. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read plenty of gross, splatter punk type novels, but these feels different. I know LaRocca is queer so this may have been some sort of catharsis thing but it’s not something that needs to be put out for the world.
What’s more all of the queer characters are so.. pathetic? Like none of the only time any of them speak up for themselves is when it’s against elderly people who can’t defend themselves? Otherwise even before all the trauma happens they’re just constantly running around with their tails between their legs. They’re all one dimensional.
The prose is also incredibly overwritten, like no one talks for even thinks like that. Between the bad characters, the scapegoating queerness for violence, and the bad writing, this whole thing just felt kind of.. lazy and shock jock-y.
The real issue with this book is the intense amount of violence the EXCLUSIVELY happens to queer characters. Literally nothing bad happens to any character that is heterosexual, and thats not an overstatement. On the other hand the queer characters are ALL repeatedly beaten, r-ped, and tortured. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read plenty of gross, splatter punk type novels, but these feels different. I know LaRocca is queer so this may have been some sort of catharsis thing but it’s not something that needs to be put out for the world.
What’s more all of the queer characters are so.. pathetic? Like none of the only time any of them speak up for themselves is when it’s against elderly people who can’t defend themselves? Otherwise even before all the trauma happens they’re just constantly running around with their tails between their legs. They’re all one dimensional.
The prose is also incredibly overwritten, like no one talks for even thinks like that. Between the bad characters, the scapegoating queerness for violence, and the bad writing, this whole thing just felt kind of.. lazy and shock jock-y.