Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca review

I must admit that Eric LaRocca’s anthology Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, has come with plenty of hype.

The American writer has put together three very different, yet haunting tales for this book, which mostly hits the mark.

The titular story covers around half of this book, and is a visceral tale of desperation, loneliness and predatory behaviour, all played out through emails and instant messages.

LaRocca knows how to weave an intriguing story with characters that are relatable but also, you feel have plenty of secrets.

In the second story we follow a young couple who attempt to recover from the death of their son, but taking off to a remote island and get more than they bargained for. Here LaRocca tackles isolation and how a parent deals with losing a child.

The final story sees a man confront his neighbour after discovering a strange object in his backyard. This is the shortest of the stories and is the most disposable, especially given how top tier the previous efforts are.

LaRocca is certainly a promising writer who clearly revels in scratching the itch and tapping into their dark side.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca is available now in all physical and e-book formats from Titan Books.