"The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories" by Eric LaRocca is a powerful collection of literary dark fiction that delves into the shadowy aspects of love, grief, obsession, and control. Comprising eight stories, this collection explores the depths of human emotion and the haunting consequences of trauma and tragedy.

It takes a lot for a horror book to gross me out, but Eric LaRocca successfully done that (multiple times) with this collection of short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed every second.

If you’re into horror, Eric LaRocca is a must for your TBR list. Please check TW list before reading.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Slow to start, but with (in my opinion) all the most memorable, nauseating and intriguing stories saved for the second half of the book. A very good and varied collection on parenthood, with my favourite story being "You're Not Supposed To Be Here" - I enjoyed the feeling of entrapment in plain, public sight, the voyeuristic appeal of secrets shared between both the hidden tormentor and the reader, and the hopless cyclical nature of the game. I would definitely recommend thus to anyone looking for a short horror anthology, with the caveat that the best stories come further in

Thank you to the publish and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

Wow....I'm not huge on short stories just because I feel like I want more out of the world or the characters. I'm glad that this was collection of short stories. I kept stopping to tell my husband (also a horror fan) about what I just read. THere was one of them that was particularly hard for me to to read so please look up warnings first. But I loved it.

Rating 4.5/5

You Follow Wherever They Go

The anthology's opening story captivates with its subtlety, darkness, and open-ended conclusion, setting an enticing tone for what's to come. The ending is ambiguous and open to interpretation.

Rating: 4 stars

Bodies are for Burning

This story keeps you on edge throughout, with a relentless tension that's downright unnerving. It serves as a stark reminder that the inner workings of a person's mind can be an enigma, leaving you with a sense of unease and the unsettling notion that you can never truly know what's happening in someone else's thoughts.

Rating: 4 stars

The Strange Thing We Become

While this story didn't grip me like others in the collection, I found its unique use of forum posts to convey the narrative intriguing. I struggled at times to fully grasp the storyline, but the inventive approach to storytelling added a distinct and thought-provoking twist.

Rating: 2 stars

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There

This one's undeniably dark, and I couldn't shake that grim feeling it left me with. It's visceral and unsettling in a way that reminds me of Stephen King's Misery, with a similar sense of dread and unease running through the narrative.

Rating: 3 stars

You're Not Supposed to Be Here

This story strikes a balance with its symmetry, and it's executed with precision. It's unapologetically raw, delving into themes of pain in a guttural manner. The added length compared to some of the other stories provides more room for the narrative to be skilfully developed.

Rating: 4 stars

Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass

This story takes a somewhat milder approach compared to the graphic content of other tales in the collection. It delves into the supernatural with elements of foreshadowing and foresight, which add a layer of intrigue. The plot unfolds at a more measured pace, allowing for a slow build of suspense and anticipation.

Rating: 3 stars

I'll Be Gone By Then

This story cleverly subverts expectations and the ambiguous ending leaves you contemplating the characters' fate. It delves into the poignant theme of family expectations and the challenges of caring for the elderly, shedding light on the often complex reality of these responsibilities.

Rating: 4 stars

Please Leave or I'm Going to Hurt You

This story evokes a sense of melancholy as it delves into the theme of mortality, but it also carries a certain peacefulness despite its darker undertones. It serves as a fitting conclusion to the anthology.

Rating: 2 stars

Eric LaRocca is incredibly talented at coming up with twisted, inventive new short horror stories/novellas. This collection is no exception. All of his work is very original.
That being said, I think it may not be for me. I love horror, and I've read a bunch of his work now, hoping that I'll find one that totally resonates with me, but none of them have. This collection absolutely has an audience (and a fairly large one at that), I just may not be one of them, and that's okay.

While not my usual go-to, I was in the mood for a short story collection and every time I saw this book at the store I would pick it up and think ‘I should try that one day.’ On the recommendation of a friend I bought it and found myself thrown into a collection of short stories, richly woven and brilliantly crafted to take me down the twisted narratives contained within. LaRocca is an author I will continue to revisits

The master of gut wrenching short horror. Eric LaRocca has done it again with The Trees Grew Because I Bled There.
LaRocca's unsettling style of horror sticks with you, clings onto you so that you're thinking about it days, weeks after you've read these stories. The visceral descriptions, leaning into disgust rather than simply allowing the reader to fill in the blanks with vague reference. Oof.
The title story as well as Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You. were my favorites but all of them are worth reading, if you can bear it.

Eric LaRocca's short stories are just getting better and better! This was an excellent collection of short fiction, and I don't think there was one that I didn't like for one reason or another. It borders on disgusting, which is some of my favorite type of horror, and Eric once again delivered a brilliant book!

I've read LaRocca and enjoyed their works before, but this collection was just okay.

I didn't feel scared or unsettled or uncomfortable the way I want to after a horror read.

There was one short story (the longest one in the middle, about a child and telling truths) that I thought was interesting and unique. The last short story in the collection made my skin crawl but not in a good way 🙃

Mostly, I've already forgotten the stories as they weren't memorable. I'm not sure what happened there - LaRocca's a great writer and I know they've done amazing imagery and concepts before. But this just wasn't the one for me...

Well, LaRocca never ceases to surprise me in the most grotesque and repulsive ways. This book felt like the Twilight Zone but with more horror elements. These stories definitely have speculative twists and requires the reader to suspend her disbelief in order to respect the concept and moral of each story.

The final story in this collection disgusted me beyond words. The theme shown in this story alone removed a star from me.

I can't say I will be inclined to read this collection again but I have to admit there is something about LaRocca that makes me want to keep reading more.


I originally received book via Netgalley in exchange for a review, but seeing as how it was archived before I could download, I ended up purchasing this myself in order to read it.

An overall solid collection of creepy, dark and unsettling tales! I really enjoyed this one and am super intrigued to check out more of the authors work, especially since I wasn’t a fan of the other arc I read by them!

This is definitely the best of the LaRocca I've read- I think the short story form works much better for him than novellas. The stories were diverse but with interesting thematic throughlines and generally tight and effective.

I am honestly impressed with the degree that LaRocca is willing to lean into the fucked upness of various relationships here, whether it be between family members or lovers. The title story is going to stick with me a while, honestly, as will most of these. Double props for deliberately leaning into things that cause a disgust reflex. You want some viscerally uncomfortable horror short stories, this is your collection.

A well-crafted collection of horror stories from the very talented breakout horror author, Eric LaRocca. In the past few years that we've been gifted with his work, I have experienced LaRocca developing and evolving as a writer. I am thrilled whenever I hear that he's publishing a new book.

Spectacular!

This is a collection that fans of the short story must add to their reading list.

Eric LaRocca delivered a collection of dark horror that had me cringing and uncomfortable yet totally enthralled throughout. Like all collections there are some stories that are more intense and impactful but overall this collection of eight well written tales truly delivered. There are two stories that resonated with me, "You're Not Supposed to Be Here" and "Please Leave or I'm Going to Hurt You". These are partly unsettling to read, somewhat disturbing and yet enjoyable to the point of going back for a second read.

If there was a superstar at short stories, Eric LaRocca would be that star. I became a fan instantly after I read "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke" and he did not disappoint with The Trees Grew Because I Bled There.

This is another fantastic collection of short stories. This collection includes the following stories:

You Follow Wherever They Go.
Bodies Are for Burning.
The Strange Thing We Become.
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There.
You’re Not Supposed to Be Here.
Where Flames Burned Emerald as Grass.
I’ll Be Gone by Then.
Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You.

Each story delves into the dark and intellectual depths of human emotion from all facets. LaRocca has a unique way to pulling his readers into his stories. He changes his tone with each story. This gives the reader the allusion that what they are diving into isn't as bad as it really is. This creates a different experience for each story.

Such beautiful but also disturbing and creepy writing. I love a short story collection and this gave me what I needed,

Disturbing and beautifully written, despite the subject material in these stories. Gory as always - very good.

As always the dark mind of Mr LaRocca never fails to blow me away. This collection like many of his other works proves that fiction can never be too dark...sometimes that's exactly what it needs to be.