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exhumedprince's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
maybbrenna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
edit: was reading some of the other reviews and while i definitely understand the criticisms, the stuff the author goes into can be pretty upsetting to people who may be sensitive to the topics, but i enjoyed it because 1) i’m a horror fan in all forms and i want horror that makes feel horrified and 2) reading the afterword explained the theme and relevance of the events super well, in my personal experience. the theme is definitely more central to the book than the characters and their development. i can agree with the criticisms towards the lesbian relationship in the first story - i also thought it moved pretty fast when i was reading it, but the afterword (which i don’t usually read in books but VERY glad i did) made it make a lot more sense. i’m a big theme slut and this book gave me lots to think about. if you find yourself particularly effected by certain topics i would definitely recommend taking into consideration the content warnings with the highest amounts of votes before reading the book - i don’t get super affected by things usually but i was definitely feeling a little wonky after the first story. overall, i think the book is great and i definitely recommend it to people that a) like a horror meant to horrify b) don’t have any particular sensitivity to predominantly gore and c) are open to a book that focuses on theme rather than characters. PLZ READ THE AFTERWORD in all honesty i liked the book perfectly fine before reading it but the afterword did help me appreciate the book a lot more!!
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Gore
Minor: Suicide and Xenophobia
octagon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Homophobia
jemayaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death and Suicide
cat_astrophicallybookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Gaslighting
carch3r's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Vomit
jiobiee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A deeply disturbing short story. I'm not sure if I should've been the person to read this, knowing now where this goes, but Eric LaRocca's intricate, repugnant prose makes my stomach churn and has embedded itself into the darkest corners of my mind. This is not a work for everyone.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, told through emails and instant messages in early 2000's chatrooms, follows two lesbians who enter a romantic and sexual... arrangement.
I need to address some points mentioned by other reviewers, because as a queer person myself, who has been in queer relationships and despite all appearances continues to be queer, I am deeply uncomfortable by the casual transphobia that runs rampant on this page. The author is, in some way that they are comfortable with defining, nonbinary. Perhaps LaRocca has no issue presenting themselves as masculine- that's fine! But to assume and double down that the author is a cis man when it isn't difficult to see that they aren't, is despicable. Or, perhaps it's only convenient to recognize nonbinary folk when you can infantilize them or use them to further your own narrative. Whatever the case may be, a lot of people have proven to me that they are not the pillars of LGBT+ community or allyship that they claim to be.
I also take issue with the blatant dismissal of the themes and content of the story by labeling it as "offensive trauma porn" and nothing more. We should not limit our community to only indulging in spineless, gutless fluff. Not that the fluff doesn't have it's own value, but queer people are not here to be precious perfect little babies. I am sick and so, very tired, of people trying to sanitize queer content; we are not allowed to bare our souls, tell meaningful stories, or present in any way that shows any ugly bits of humanity. And beyond any of the actual disturbing content- yes, fictional lesbians are allowed to jump into abusive relationships- many real lesbians do!
Which, isn't to say that this work doesn't deserve criticism. It does. Any criticism Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke has gotten, from a narrative, literary standpoint does not bother me in the slightest.
My biggest gripe is that Zoe and Agnes do not have their own distinct voices. I can get past these two texting in the most flowery prose I've ever seen come up in casual conversation (mainly because I have been known to talk like an asshole at times, lol), but unfortunately these two characters feel like they're the same person. I don't think the inclusion of the police report as a means to transition into the story was necessary; it would read just fine without it.
Some people said that Agnes and Zoe follow a logic that doesn't make any sense. I disagree. Just because you or I would never jump to any of those same conclusions, does not mean that no one does. Fiction would be boring if people acted purely logically all the time.
There's a sickening sense of impending doom in every word on these pages. There was never a moment where this story didn't feel tense. I think the most chilling part about it, to me, was how wholeheartedly devoted Agnes was to Zoe,
If any of the subject matter sounds interesting to you, then I would say it is worth a read. Please come to your own conclusions. And again, this story is not for everyone.
"What have you done today to deserve your eyes?"
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
noczombie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
calhudak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Self harm, Religious bigotry, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Body horror, Infertility, and Racism
avajlw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail