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inkandplasma 's review for:
We Can Never Leave This Place
by Eric LaRocca
Full review available on my blog from 3rd June 2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/06/03/we-can-never-leave-this-place/
Character - 8
Atmosphere - 9
Writing - 8
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 9
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 9
Rating: 8.29 / 4 stars
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This is really difficult to review because I think it’s best approached almost entirely blind. I highly recommend looking up the content warnings for this one – as with all of Eric LaRocca’s work – because he doesn’t flinch away from dark and horrifying topics in his horror. I’m pretty resilient, preferring my horror as grotesque as possible, and I still think that I have had a visceral shudder reaction to every single one of his novellas that I’ve read so far. It’s no understatement to say that Eric LaRocca is an insta-buy author for me now.
In only 100-ish pages, WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE is claustrophobic and grim, with a teen girl living in some kind of dystopian (? war-torn?) society. I’m not sure what, exactly, and that felt very intentional. We only know what Mara does – the walls of her home with her murdered father and her cruel mother. The setting is flooded with filth and creepy crawlies, and I found myself desperately hoping that the story would end – just so Mara had the faintest hope of getting some peace. The writing is both macabre and fantastical, a kind of fairy-tale that makes the worst of the Grimm tales look child-appropriate. I think this is guaranteed to be one of those stories that I find myself thinking about over and over again.
At first I was confused, though no less engaged for it, as I was fed tidbits of explanation and moments of clarity more horrifying than the fantasy. That confusion was incredibly atmospheric and I think made this an even more enjoyable read. It built up to an ending that hit me like a gut punch, and one of the most spectacular moments of awful realisation that I have ever experienced while reading. This novella is a raw, violating fever dream without a single wasted word, and I’m awed at the fact that this isn’t just a spectacular piece of horror but a spectacular piece of technical writing too. If you like horror and you’re not reading Eric LaRocca’s work yet – it’s time to start.
Character - 8
Atmosphere - 9
Writing - 8
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 9
Logic - 7
Enjoyment - 9
Rating: 8.29 / 4 stars
-
This is really difficult to review because I think it’s best approached almost entirely blind. I highly recommend looking up the content warnings for this one – as with all of Eric LaRocca’s work – because he doesn’t flinch away from dark and horrifying topics in his horror. I’m pretty resilient, preferring my horror as grotesque as possible, and I still think that I have had a visceral shudder reaction to every single one of his novellas that I’ve read so far. It’s no understatement to say that Eric LaRocca is an insta-buy author for me now.
In only 100-ish pages, WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE is claustrophobic and grim, with a teen girl living in some kind of dystopian (? war-torn?) society. I’m not sure what, exactly, and that felt very intentional. We only know what Mara does – the walls of her home with her murdered father and her cruel mother. The setting is flooded with filth and creepy crawlies, and I found myself desperately hoping that the story would end – just so Mara had the faintest hope of getting some peace. The writing is both macabre and fantastical, a kind of fairy-tale that makes the worst of the Grimm tales look child-appropriate. I think this is guaranteed to be one of those stories that I find myself thinking about over and over again.
At first I was confused, though no less engaged for it, as I was fed tidbits of explanation and moments of clarity more horrifying than the fantasy. That confusion was incredibly atmospheric and I think made this an even more enjoyable read. It built up to an ending that hit me like a gut punch, and one of the most spectacular moments of awful realisation that I have ever experienced while reading. This novella is a raw, violating fever dream without a single wasted word, and I’m awed at the fact that this isn’t just a spectacular piece of horror but a spectacular piece of technical writing too. If you like horror and you’re not reading Eric LaRocca’s work yet – it’s time to start.