Hey there! I’m Briana Morgan, a horror author and playwright. My books include THE TRICKER-TREATER AND OTHER STORIES, UNBOXED: A PLAY, and more. I’m also a member of the Horror Writers Association, and I love books. I especially love scary books. When I heard about the opportunity to review indie horror books, I jumped at the chance. One of my favorite things about being an indie author is how supportive the horror community is. Mostly, it feels like we all genuinely want each other to succeed and will do all we can to help each other.
Full disclosure: my friends have written some books I’ll be reviewing. That doesn’t mean I won’t be honest about them. I won’t recommend work here unless I truly believe it’s worth a reader’s time. There are too many wonderful books in the world for us to waste time reading bad ones.
What have you done today to deserve your eyes? I hate to ask that question, and you’ll soon discover why.
Today, I’m thrilled to talk about THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, a gripping novella by Eric Larocca, published by Weirdpunk Books. I’ve seen this book EVERYWHERE. If I didn’t know Eric, it would still have been on my radar because it’s appeared all over Instagram, Tiktok, and even YouTube. At the time of writing this review, THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE is sitting pretty at #1 in LGBT+ Horror eBooks, #2 in LGBT Horror Fiction, and #2 in Epistolary Fiction on the Amazon charts. That’s not nothing.
If you haven’t heard of the book or know nothing about it, here’s the back cover copy for you:
Sadomasochism. Obsession. Death.
A whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s—a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires.
What have you done today to deserve your eyes?
Like I’ve mentioned, I’ve followed Eric Larocca for a while and I was interested in this book not only because of its author, but because its premise sounded wild—but wild in the best way. I’m a sucker for found footage films and epistolary media in all its forms. When I heard THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE is told via chat room, instant messaging, and email exchanges, I dove in. Epistolary media can be hard to pull off, but Larocca’s creepy yarn does the format justice.
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In this novella, Agnes Petrella posts a listing for an old apple peeler on an online queer community board. I should note that this book takes place in the year 2000. In her first post, Agnes describes the apple peeler as a family heirloom and discloses its history. A woman named Zoe Cross responds to the listing right away, captivated by the apple peeler, its story, and its owner. What follows is a twisted series of correspondences that blur the lines between love and obsession that quickly spirals out of control.
In THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE, Larocca presents two messy queer women whose relationship leaves its mark on both—albeit in unique ways. As the two women get to know each other better and develop a sadomasochist relationship, they take turns pushing each other just a bit further from their comfort zones, trying to see how far they’ll go in the name of “love.”
The relationship presented on the page is more obsessive than anything else, and obviously toxic. By writing about such a relationship, Larocca is not condoning it, nor is he advocating for this kind of dynamic. He’s just depicting a darker, very real, side of human relationships that it can be far too easy for participants to find themselves caught up in.
Author, Eric Larocca
Larocca and I were part of a discussion regarding the depiction of queer characters in horror, especially in horror books. Often readers, especially cisgender heterosexual readers, raise red flags when they see queer people depicted as real human beings. Whew, that’s a lot to unpack, so let me explain. If a queer character is flawed, many reviewers take this at face value as bad—perhaps even harmful—queer representation. From the reviews of this novella, it’s also relevant here.
Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not. Neither is Larocca. That’s one reason we were part of the group discussing queer representation. We also, like many other queer authors, believe in presenting queer characters as real individuals, warts and all. With writing, we want to see ourselves accurately depicted in media. We don’t want to see perfect people, regardless of their sexual orientation. And the characters in THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE are decidedly not perfect people. But that’s what makes them so compelling.
This novella’s characters are its greatest strength. Since the epistolary format strips away all the trimmings of scenery, imagery, and anything else that might detract from the story core, if the characters aren’t real, the book falls flat. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE does not fall flat. It has some of the most realistic characters and depictions of a harmful relationship that I’ve ever read. If that’s not enough reason for you to read it—and for me to recommend it—then I don’t know what is.
I give THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE 5/5 stars. It’s available in paperback and ebook form on Amazon, as well as a host of other retailers. You can (and should) also follow the author Eric Larocca on Twitter and Instagram. Stay tuned for more spooky book recommendations!
Briana Morgan (she/her) is a horror author and playwright of books such as THE TRICKER-TREATER AND OTHER STORIES, UNBOXED, and BLOOD AND WATER. She is also a proud member of the Horror Writers Association. Briana lives with her partner and two cats in Atlanta, GA.
