I must admit that the titles of author Eric La Rocca’s books are an instant pull for even the most casual of horror readers.
This recently released collection of four short stories is designed to really get under your skin and make you feel uncomfortable. The fact my advanced review copy had a letter warning as much was a testament to this.
The titular story starts things off and provides a slow build of dread, which will make readers squirm. We follow the daughter of a man who recently passed and returns to her childhood home, but now her father is gone, long-buried secrets will be unearthed.
‘Seedling’ again is another story which deals with grief, as a queer son deals with the recent passing of his mother but also discovers something on her corpse that could provide wider problems. La Rocca likes to put their readers in an awkward situation, and what could be more awkward than this type of scenario?
Despite its uncomfortable nature, this continues to be a compelling read as we piece together these richly coded and sometimes mysterious stories.
‘All The Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn’ feels like La Rocca’s ode to the monkey’s paw tale, as Enoch becomes embroiled in potential cult activity when going out to buy a knife for his husband. The escalation of this story is mindblowing and wholly creative, taking us on such a twisted journey.
Rounding things off, ‘Prickle’ plays more like a dark comedy, compared to the twisted and sometimes harrowing stories that have come before it, as two old men try to outdo each other with a cruel game.
This Skin Was Once Mine is one of the most impressive anthologies I’ve read in a long time, with La Rocca instantly becoming a writer to watch in the future.
This Skin Was Once Mie and Other Disturbances by Eric La Rocca, is available now from Titan Books.
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