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tinyjude's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
1.0
Never read this after having a meal!!!
I had read some vague stuff about how disturbing this book could be, but I was definitely not prepared for whatever the fck this was. I am beyond disgusted. I can enjoy horrible fictional stories but this seems to be out of my taste completely. I just felt so sick and ready to throw up while reading it.
I can understand how someone in such a vulnerable state can go down that route and spiral so fast but the stories (like the baby jesus christ I'M PRAYING THIS NEVER HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE WTF WTF WTF) where way too much for me and too fast. The relationship barely develops, suddenly the convo turns "sexy" but feels more like 50 shades of grey bad ff (eugh) and then THAT. I won't spoil but, just, NO.
The ending was confusing but reading some theories about the cover, I got my horrifying answer 😳 100% not for me.
I had read some vague stuff about how disturbing this book could be, but I was definitely not prepared for whatever the fck this was. I am beyond disgusted. I can enjoy horrible fictional stories but this seems to be out of my taste completely. I just felt so sick and ready to throw up while reading it.
I can understand how someone in such a vulnerable state can go down that route and spiral so fast but the stories (like the baby jesus christ I'M PRAYING THIS NEVER HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE WTF WTF WTF) where way too much for me and too fast. The relationship barely develops, suddenly the convo turns "sexy" but feels more like 50 shades of grey bad ff (eugh) and then THAT. I won't spoil but, just, NO.
The ending was confusing but reading some theories about the cover, I got my horrifying answer 😳 100% not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
readwithsophsx's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
jiobiee's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- 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
OVERALL: 7.8/10, or 3.9/5
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.Agnes posts on an LGBT forum trying to sell her antique apple peeler, which may or may not have been touched by some famous old composer, when Zoe reaches out to her with the intent of buying. After learning about her financial and personal troubles, Zoe sends Agnes enough money to cover a couple months' of rent, and suggests that they should enter a slave/master relationship. She agrees, and Agnes is at the behest of Zoe's every whim- even when they become exponentially more depraved. She reaches a breaking point, once, but soon realizes she craves Zoe's approval more than she feels shame about her actions.
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.You wouldn't need to tell us that Agnes is dead to know that she is. Some people take issue with the BDSM themes, viewing it under a critical queer eye, and frankly, to an extent I do agree. It isn't representative of kink. Where I differ, though, is that I don't think the intent was to be representative of kink.I just think Zoe's kind of a freak. Agnes, too, by the end of the story. I don't take issue with the Agnes' wish to carry a child as a queer person, personally. I am someone who is utterly disgusted, repulsed, and terrified of motherhood and the thought of carrying life within me makes me want to vomit. I hate it. It's the reason why I say that I'm not sure I am the right person to read something like this. But, I'm not every queer person, and I'm certainly not every lesbian- lesbians who want children and want to carry their children do exist. I don't think it's that wild or crazy of an idea, and I didn't pick up on any notion that LaRocca feels like all women feel a pull to motherhood.
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,to the point of obsession. It is a painfully obvious metaphor, to me, that their relationship is supposed to represent this sort of fucked-up progression of toxic relationships. Agnes, broken by her parent's decision to disown her two years ago, broke, and with an almost non-existent support system, becomes susceptible to Zoe's manipulation. Zoe is a sick individual. She realizes this. Her need to get off on having power over Agnes outweighs her desire not to hurt people. Agnes begins to change every aspect of herself to serve Zoe, and obsesses over her, her relationship with her, and her parasite- her "child"- even when Zoe decides that they both have gone too far. Agnes' obsession has grown to such a point that no semblance of identity is left- just the corpse of the parasite remains. I know people that act like either Zoe or Agnes. They are just as vile. And that is deeply, deeply disturbing.
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.
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?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
calhudak's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
marcostorin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Kidnapping
ticklemetiff's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder
brynniek's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Excrement
lordofdisorder's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
kharv294's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- 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
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
05olivia15's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy