Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this short story collection deals with human relationships and the dark, intrusive thoughts that permeate them. Most of the tales here depict violent thought that slowly develop until they explode into action; for example, Bodies Are For Burning, and I'll Be Gone By Then: in the first one, an aunt tries to ask for help to her psychologist because she keeps thinking about burning things and people. But when she has to babysit her niece, she has to do something about those impulses, or she might hurt a loved one; the second story is about a selfish woman who wants to get rid of her elderly mother. She plans on how to do it, and goes about it too casually, but she realizes soon afterward that it could've been a mistake since her resentment toward her mother was uncalled-for. You are not supposed to be here and Where Flames Burned Emerald As Grass are more genre inclined, but nevertheless, they are very strong in the way the narrative flows: in the first one, a gay couple is approached by a man and woman who apparently mistake them for others. They soon start to chat until the conversation turns for the worse and then dark secrets and hot blood start leaking; In the second one, a father and daughter are vacationing in a resort, and they meet a strange but respectful man. But then this mysterious man tells the father of an impending doom that will befall her daughter, and the only way of rescuing her will cause the father to make a very hard choice. The rest of the stories are all very subtle, the twist so nonchalantly presented, and the prose so inconspicuous that before you realize it, you can't but feel sorry and terror for these characters. LaRocca will be a very interesting horror writer to follow in the coming years. ~

As alaways with Erics LaRocca I enjoy his writing style and a lot of his story ideas are original in its execution. However, the stories mostly devolve into pure use of (sometimes pretty illogical) shock factors. As always, with a story collection there are good ones (The strange thing we become, bodies are for burning), but also mediocre/ broing ones (where flames burned the gras, i will be gone by then).
I was entertained throughout, but always felt like I was missing out as these stories could have been executed so much better!

My second Eric LaRocca collection (following Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes) and once again the author has managed to take ordinary situations and by the end of the story twist everything until you have chills. The story about the young couple in the park that find themselves playing a frightening game to save their infant is truly terrifying . Very much looking forward to the author's debut novel Everything the Darkness Eats (doesn't he have the best titles!)

LaRocca pushes the envelope with these stories, and if you read them and don't squirm in your seat (at least a little) then I think you should possibly be put on a government watch list. Some of these short stories are just hauntingly disturbing, but all of them are unsettling. I was pulled into each one abruptly each time as I waited for whatever horror filled nightmare I was going to read about this time.

I completely loved it of course. 10/10. Eric LaRocca is an instant read and an instant buy for me forever.

I became an Eric LaRocca fan after first reading "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke," which I found to be such a refreshing, bizarre, and horrific story. I was equally as blown away by this short story collection! LaRocca is able to weave emotion so carefully into the narratives, while still having the reader be like "wtf am I reading?!" I like that we are getting LGBTQIA+ representation in the horror genre, and honestly it's such a new take on what things are genuinely frightening versus what modern horrors minorities face everyday. I enjoyed reading every story in this book, and because LaRocca is so adept at beautiful descriptions of not only scenery, I was able to play out every detail in my mind. I will be reading more of LaRocca, and also let it be said that the cover (and all their covers) are gorgeous works of art. Thanks, NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for the free copy!

Wow, what a collection! This was my first encounter with the force that is LaRocca’s writing, and it did not disappoint. The stories are incredibly dark and unsettling in different ways. I specifically like the creativity in the “hauntings”, and the dichotomy between a diversity of horrors and a repetition of signs being used. I’ll read many more of this author’s work in the future.

This short stories collection was weird, daunting and truly horrifying.
It’s hard for all stories to be at the same level but this one definitely delivered in creepiness and horror. The feel of dread and deep rooted anxiety can be felt throughout all stories and some of them really made me stressed and uncomfortable. It’s impressive that an author can write short stories with so much atmosphere and that can pack a punch while grossing you out. I was honestly too scared and anxious to read those at night before bed because it was making me tense and uneasy.

My favourite short story was definitely “the trees grew because I bled there”, which gave its title to the collection!

If you want disturbing short horror stories, this one is for you!

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun collection of short stories. Some are dark and gory, others are creepy. A quick read for fans of horror.

First of all thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the ARC of this book.

''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. 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…''

This is a difficult one to rate due to it being such a different mix of stories. I really enjoyed a few of them but others just had me bored and not wanting to read on so unfortunately I can't give this book anymore than 3 stars.

This is the second book of Eric LaRocca's I've read and I have to say they are just a master at writing deeply unsettling and dark stories! I absolutely enjoyed this one and can't wait to pick up more from this author!

3 Stars ~

I find it hard to rate short story collections because I usually like some stories and dislike others. And this was precisely that.

Some stories had me pulling disgusted/horrified faces, and gasping, and in others, I was just a bit bored. I feel like LaRocca goes for that shock factor, so if that is your thing, give it a go.

This was a republication, which I didn't realise when first requesting on NetGalley, but thankfully I had not read this collection yet.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest review.

My experience with horror is very limited. I'm familiar with Grady Hendrix and Paul Tremblay... and that's about it. Eric LaRocca will now be on the list of my go-to authors when I need a chilling story.

This collectoin of stories was beyond haunting. Each tale is horrifying in their own ways, and many feature significant moments of true heartache.

I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca is a collection that meditates on grief, estranged relationships, and the pain of watching your loved ones slowly age and die. The stories here unflinchingly explore the darkest part of the human psyche during the most difficult trials of a person’s life.

Perhaps due to their length, unfortunately some of the short stories fell flat to me compared to Larocca’s longer works like We Can Never Leave This Place or They Were Here Before Us. The first story especially felt incomplete to me because I lacked enough history between the father and the kid for the ending to pack an emotional punch.

However, these are the standouts of the collection for me.

- Bodies Are for Burning. An aunt struggles with her compulsion to set things on fire as she cares for her young niece. This is an unnerving and poignant look at a lesser-talked about aspect of OCD: dealing with intrusive thoughts.

- The Strange Thing We Become. Told through an internet thread, user mummyqueerest documents their struggle with coming to terms with their partner’s terminal cancer diagnosis.

- The Trees Grew Because I Bled There. An allegory for a toxic relationship where one person gives and the other just takes. Think of it as a messed-up version of The Giving Tree ... only with human body parts.

- Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You. A gay man wrestles with his complicated feelings toward his father. This one is an emotionally heartbreaking read that delves into a taboo subject matter with nuance and care.

Overall, this collection offers a compelling character study on how different people react to love and loss and it’s still a worthwhile read for those who love beautifully poetic dark fiction.

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There is a collection of 8 stories that are all so unique, beautifully written, and deeply horrifying.

My favorite short stories were:
- Bodies are for Burning: an aunt who has intrusive thoughts about burning things is worried about what might happen when she babysits her baby niece. This one was disturbing but so so good.
- The Strange Thing We Become: I liked the epistolary format of this one the most!
- Please Leave or I Am Going to Hurt You: This was... uhhh interesting. Both a horrific and taboo love story.

LaRocca's approach to horror is very poetic. Their prose is dark and haunting, yet lyrical and deep. I really liked this and would recommend to anyone who enjoys horror/short stories!

Thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Trees Grew Because I Bled There" collects 8 stories of literary dark fiction written by Eric LaRocca, Bram Stoker Award-nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of the viral novella Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (which I loved and really recommend!).

It's not a secret that I love LaRocca's writing and unique horror taste, so when I saw that this collection was available on NetGalley, I requested it immediately. "The Trees Grew Because I Bled There" is deliciously dark, haunting, disturbing, different, and sooo beautifully written. Most of them made me experience a rollercoaster of emotions: there are some twists I didn't see coming and left me speechless, and these twists literally turn the story into a nightmare, into torture. I admire the author's vision and ability to put into words the darkest thoughts people have in their head and, while I do see that LaRocca's works are not for everybody, they are definitely my cup of tea.

This collection is great. I wish it included more stories or longer ones, because some left me hanging and wanting for more (especially You Follow Wherever They Go). I think the most loved one will be You’re Not Supposed to Be Here (truly excellent, could be made into a short movie too!), but my favorite was I’ll Be Gone by Then, it's dark and heartbreaking and intense, incredible.
Can't wait to read LaRocca's next book, out later this year!

* I'd like to thank Eric LaRocca, Titan Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. * The Trees Grew Because I Bled There is out on March 7th, 2023.

I was struggling a lot when it came to reviewing this book.

Inevitably with a short story collection, I found it difficult to have an overall opinion because there were stories I found significantly more interesting than others and vice versa. Here of course there were stories that I connected with and stories I did not.
I felt as though a lot of these stories were very surface-level and did not provide characters that were particularly fleshed out. It made it difficult to care for their well-being and the plots of some of the stories were not enough to hold the story on its own.

Despite that, there were absolutely stories where I connected deeply and was extremely invested. Easily that could have been a full-length novel. That brings me to my second and only other problem, the order. The order of stories in a collection is key in terms of gripping the reader and I felt as though in terms of themes and energy we went up and down and then down and up. It made It hard to have an overall opinion of the book

Overall, I would give it a go both if you have and haven't read his most famous book as I think there will be something in them for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for allowing me to read this book.. I am a fan of horror and can stand to read some pretty messed up things but a couple of stories in this book had me thinking to myself "What did I just read?" I enjoy short stories and I liked the uniqueness of these stories, that's a plus for me, but some were just too much. I didn't mind the first couple of stories, but the further along I got in the book the further off board I became. I think my line in the sand was [***spoiler alert***] a story where a lady had dark thoughts of hurting people with fire. She watches her one year old niece and has terrible thoughts of different ways to burn her. She catches herself just before she burns the girl's hand on the gas stove. I won't spoil the ending in case anyone wants to read this. I wasn't a huge fan of some of these stories, but this is the first book of this author's that I have read. I will try reading "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke" to see if it is any better. I had heard a lot of good things about that book, which is what made me want to give this one a whirl.

I am speechless.
(Which is decidedly a BIG problem when trying to write a review.)

Eric LaRocca is an absolute master at their craft.
Every story was beautiful (I said what I said) and gave me an icky, uncomfortable delicious sort of feeling that I absolutely delighted in.
I don't know if this will make sense to anyone but me, but this collection felt like Aesop's Fables--but make it extreme horror.
I try to choose a favorite story when reviewing collections of stories/anthologies;
However, picking a favorite from this collections is a lot like choosing your most well-behaved and loving child....that also has the most abhorrent hygiene. (I hope that comes across as the joke I meant to it be!)
Each tale is absolutely vile in its own special way, but balanced equally with with their beauty and power.
The two that had the most personal meaning to me (and therefore seared into the coils of my brain forever) are the titular "The Trees Grew Because I Bled There" and "The Strange Things We Become".

Sometimes you read something and it fuels you with inspiration and hope that you, too, can write something so incredible.
And sometimes you read the new Eric LaRocca and think you should throw in the towel because no one can match the beauty of his prose or the depths of their depravity.

Incredible book!
Thank you so much for letting me read an ARC.
Now I need to go buy it to add to my collection!

A decent collection of stories and a fantastic introduction by Chuck Wendig. I believe most stories involved some sort of parent/caregiver-child relationship, which makes for many heart-in-throat moments. More memorable than Things Have Gotten Worse...

I sadly wasn't the biggest fan of The Tree Grew Because I Bled There.
I did like some of the stories but most of them I didn't really enjoy...
I would still recommend giving this book a go if it sounds good to you but sadly I don't think it was for me.
Thank you gorgeous giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.