Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

669 reviews

perth_is's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

it was okay but to be honest, I think this would be way better as a longer story. I like the idea of communicating through emails or chat logs, however was really confused when it ended. I think it really needed to have more because what I was reading was really good. 


Fyi, I read this book in an hour 😭

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kit_reads's review against another edition

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Too much gross out factor, not enough interest 

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camilamunoz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

2.25

what the hell did i just read? i started and finished this novella in one sitting and i just feel like i need more context? like everything happened so fast and then it just ended super abruptly. 
This plot reminded me of 2 true life crime stories; specifically the detail about the contract and  the chat room setting. Considering the whole novella was fabricated as a summary of real events -what with the omissions and police mention- i just had to look up whether it was based on real life before thinking: why would anyone actually follow through w dangerous/off putting suggestions from a stranger? like why not just say you did and grab your coin? besides the dress situation, no other photo proof was required so it was strange that Agnes actually went through with everything. 
In any case, what regular person sends emails/messages with such explicit detail? 
Anyway, definitely a wtf book

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muppetincrisis's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a read pretty far outside of my comfort zone. It is an incredibly well executed depiction of so many things - love, despair, obsession, distinction and disgust. I think some of the themes were easier for me to tolerate than usual because I have a personal history with abusive and manipulative queer relationships and have experienced severe manipulation. However, some of the more graphic descriptions
(primarily the portion about preparing and eating the spoiled meat to contract the parasite)
I had to skim over because they were too much to stomach. 

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hayn's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS I LOVE THIS BOOK

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05olivia15's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

DO NOT READ THIS.

Yes, I gave it 4 stars.  But I do not recommend anyone read this book ever.

This book made me physically nauseous to read.  I read this whole book in a day because I knew if I set it down and allowed myself to think about picking it up again, I wouldn't have the stomach to do it.

An absolutely fucked early 2000s era epistolary novel, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke chronicles the emails and instant message logs between Zoe and Agnes who meet on a craigslist-esque LGBT forum.  Agnes is estranged from her family, underemployed, and financially screwed.  Zoe is mysterious, wealthy, and has a penchant for cruelty.  What follows is a train wreck that I wished I could look away from the entire time.

The horror of this book comes from 2 fronts: The first and most obvious is the body horror that basically shows up from the very beginning of the book.  I'm not going to quote anything or go into detail, but trust me, it's foul.  

The second comes from the eery-sick feeling that this could have happened to the friends I knew as teenagers.  That this cautionary tale was narrowly avoided through luck rather than skill.  Being an emotional vulnerable queer with an unmonitored internet connection is billed as something empowering, a way to find community outside of your shitty hometown, to give you hope for a future that you can see happening in a city near you.  But it can also lead you to places like this.  Lonely corners of the internet where people with no power in their real lives decide to create some by dominating someone even weaker, someone hundreds of miles away.  The real fear of this novel came from the lingering thought that had a charismatic Zoe found me in cyberspace when I was at my most vulnerable and wrote me poetry about apple peelers and undeserving eyes, I could have ended up an Agnes too-- consumed from the outside in.

The lesson of this book for me (if there even is one) is about how oftentimes victims and perpetrators have more in common than we are comfortable admitting.  That desperate and lonely people are just as prone to hurt each other as they are to lift each other up.  That words on a computer screen can be just as persuasive as those you hear from people in real life.  That people will, unfortunately, do anything for love.

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oliviadecker99's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No

1.75

Very interesting concept and story, but I thought the execution was poor. A lot more character development and plot buildup were necessary in order to justify the disturbing ending, in my opinion. It packs a heavy punch as-is, but without additional buildup it just comes off as a cheap trick used for shock value. I was very invested in the story though so it was not a complete waste of time, and I am now interested in reading some of the author's other works. 

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mallory_minerva's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
Well that was gross

I know this book is disliked, and I find the criticisms understandable. I do not dispute the realism issues; people don't really email like that. The texting to me seemed fine on the local level however. The progression of the relationship, as well as the relationship with the Tapeworm, seemed most unrealistic, but in some ways the psychological nuance of it was very interesting. I have mixed feelings on that front. I also am unsure about the claim of the author fetishizing lesbians. I didn't pick up on it much myself but I can see why others do.

I honestly found it mostly fun. I read it in one sitting which is rare for me. The characters are good and distinct, and the scenes conveyed through texts and emails are really vivid. I also liked Agnes's tendency to tell anecdotes; a lot of the literary merit is in those moments and I actually do buy that someone would just infodump anecdotes to make a point. I think the online take on an epistolary novel was well done all things considered; this is an epistolary novel and it will read like letters, not emails, and that's fine.

The horror is... The body horror is better than the psychological horror. I did not enjoy the BDSM aspects, and the animal cruelty really felt out of place for both characters and plot-necessitated. The Findom was underexplored but maybe that's a good thing. Zoe places enough emphasis on consent and caution that I didn't really perceive much manipulation. I didn't pick up on it until she self-discloses out of guilt and concern. There's moments where I feel things are getting worse and Agnes is blundering into a bad situation though, which is good psychological horror. The body horror is well-done.

I wanted to read trash after Foucault broke me, and I certainly got it. I get the low average but this book came to me at the right time I guess.

 PS: this is the most content warnings I've ever added for a review. I guess I don't do horror much.

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shelbymarie314's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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lucygoosey522's review against another edition

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dark

2.0

Not really what I expected. Didn’t make me as squeamish as some other gross thrillers as I had hoped for.

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