The Trees Grew Because I Bled There – Eric LaRocca

Released yesterday – along with a rare appearance from Billy!

Thanks to Titan Books for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review

THE TREES GREW BECAUSE I BLED THERE – Eric LaRocca (Released March 7th, 2023)

Book Description:

A beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram-Stoker finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes.

Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…

My Thoughts: 5/5 stars

I have to say, I think this solidifies LaRocca as a favorite horror author. This collection of eight short stories are all horrific and scary in their own ways but each one is beautifully written. THE TREES GREW BECAUSE I BLED THERE didn’t have a bad one in the bunch, but as it always works out with short story collections, there were some standouts. You know you’ve found a talented author when you’re thinking about some of the stories long after you’ve put down the book and I can guarantee that I won’t be forgetting some of these. How LaRocca can come up with these stories, I’ll never know, but I want them to keep the books coming!

Bodies Are For Burning is about a woman, with a penchant for setting things on fire, that is terrified of watching her niece because she doesn’t know what could happen to her while in her care. The Strange Thing We Become is probably the most similar in style to Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, and equally disturbing. The title story, The Trees Grew Because I Bled There, offers the question of how far are you willing to go for the ones you love? I think this one was one of the more horrifying stories in the mix, and, wow. That’s really all I can say because I don’t want to spoil it. The other standout was, Please Leave Or I’m Going To Hurt You. If taboo love stories aren’t your thing, then you might want to skip this, but let’s be real, if you’re reading this collection then you aren’t going to skip it.