12:30am in 日記

I want to start reading again, even if it’s just little by little. Last night I started with,

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric Larocca
Rating: ★★★☆☆

The book was interestingly written. I was able to read it all in one night. It wasn’t a long book, maybe 90 pages or less. A short horror story if anything.

The book sort of followed the typical lesbian trope/stereotype. They fall in love fast and hard. It took all but a few vulnerable emails for them to get into sending money.

I felt like this set up was too fast, especially how they almost immediately fall into a “master/slave” (sponsor/drudge) dynamic following the money transfer.

Of course, their relationship starts off with a hint of sexuality but then turns into something different. The drudge finding herself doing odd things like smashing a salamander with a rock or eating 2-day rotted meat from outside.

The ending, although not predictable from the beginning, wasn’t exactly jaw dropping enough to make this an amazing short horror.

I guess I’m more into psychological horror than I am into shock value horror. I think the writer leaned too much on the audience being… squeamish? Sensitive?

I can see this book being an interesting conversation piece, after all, Agnes really goes above and beyond for this woman she’s only emailed for a few days/weeks.