Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Name: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
SKU: 83219
Availability: InStock

3.8 | 2,441 ratings

Price: 6.08

Last update: 11-08-2024

About this item

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?

Ash W.

Brilliant & grotesque lil novella

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2021

“Things have gotten worse since we last spoke. I think there’s something wrong.”

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Read for a grotesque horror novella that’ll churn your stomach and leave your jaw on the floor!

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First things first, this is a TRUE horror novella. It’s brutal. If you consider Riley Sager books to be horror then turn right around because this novella isn’t for you.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is a short story. It’s told through email and instant message exchanges between two women who meet in a chat room and strike up a friendship. It all starts innocently over an apple peeler, but to say things escalate quickly is an understatement!

I read this in one quick sitting because there was simply no putting this book down! It’s not just that the pacing and storytelling was excellent, but the gruesome parts are so well placed too. Of course, well placed or not, there is some seriously horrific content so let me emphasize again that this macabre read is NOT for the faint of heart. I am so glad I was home alone when I read it because there was no one to witness all the gasping and me audibly saying “oh no” and “OMG NOOOO” so many times!

But now that it’s over I can’t stop thinking about it! It is one of those stories that I kinda hated, but it got in my head so much and was so well told that I actually loved it.

And now I can’t help, but wonder….what have I done to deserve my eyes? #IYKYK

A horror work you can read in one sitting

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2023

This horror novella received a lot of (largely positive) feedback on Twitter, and I had to pick it up after I saw the horrifically awesome Junji Ito-esque book cover. The book is a work of epistolary fiction in the form of online posts and emails sent between two women. It’s purported to take place in the earlier days of the internet, but the style and wording don’t make that very convincing. The story starts with Agnes selling a beloved family heirloom because her mother has just rejected her for being gay. Zoe reaches out to her about the item, and soon they become more than friends, but not in a positive way at all. Zoe has a nasty streak and seems to enjoy trying to get Agnes “help” herself by doing increasingly upsetting things to show her devotion to Zoe, as well as to show her determination to live. She uses the phrase, “What have you done today to deserve your eyes?” At first, it can seem motivational, that you should remember to behave worthy of the gifts life has given you. But, it is also a haunting and detrimental phrase, implying you don’t inherently deserve anything – and, in fact, don’t even deserve your own eyes. Agnes gets caught up in the relationship though the two never have met in person, and feels gratified by doing the horrible things Zoe wants in order to please her. But, when Zoe realizes she’s gone too far, it’s too late to pull Agnes back. I was expecting more body horror – a lot of people said it was really gross, but maybe it was the specific things that happened that weren’t as gross to me as they would be to other people. This book was overall a fast and well-written read. Though I don’t think Eric LaRocca succeeded in the epistolary story being convincing as actual correspondence between two people in the setting they were going for, I still was impressed by this horror story a lot, and am looking forward to what they write next.

Adreanna

Overhyped but not bad

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2021

A friend had recommended this book to me and told me it was “very gruesome” and “disturbing”. I’m starting to think she didn’t read the same book that I had because this story fell flat. After reading it I felt a bit disappointed, but as I’m writing this I’m starting to appreciate this story a bit more. It’s very interesting to watch the main character become consumed with this person on the other side of the screen and how one simple encounter spiraled her life out of control. The characters explain so much about themselves and their personal lives, as the reader, I felt like i could understand them better. If you’re looking for a short read then definitely get this book. However, it is very overhyped and lacked something. I’ve read some other reviews about how this story is “bad” and “boring”. To each their own of course, but I never found the story boring, but I could see how someone would have thought that way. There are long emails sent back and forth between the two girls, so if you don’t like reading big paragraphs then maybe you shouldn’t get this book. Overall it was an interesting story, but it didn’t live up to the hype. I do recommend this book to whoever is reading this if your looking for a quick and interesting read.

Rachael Martin

Things escalated quickly

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021

Whoa. I’m pretty sure my eyes were bugged out snd my eyebrows touched my hairline the ENTIRE time I read Eric LaRocca’s THINGS HAVE HOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE. The format of emails and Instant Messaging was so fun and different. A lot of the stories within the book were difficult to read, but they added to the constant feeling of discomfort and uncertainty. One particular event that occurred with one of the main characters caused my mouth to pool with water due to the sick feeling I had while reading. I knew to expect some level of disturbance based off of the reviews I’d glimpsed at, while still going in knowing nothing. I did have to look away from the book a few times in order to digest what was happening and allow myself a small break to think “wtf”. Things escalated quickly. I had this feeling of both not believing what I was reading and wanting to shake the characters as well as understanding the thought process of both main characters. It was a fascinating read, dark and twisted and troublesome, and it made me nauseated and uncomfortable. There is so much conviction within the words that it’s difficult to remember the characters and their story are a work of fiction. I finished the book feeling unsettled, and that was exactly what I was looking for, and I hope exactly what LaRocca was wanting to convey. Well done, sir.

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