They Were Here Before Us: A Novella in Pieces

Title: They Were Here Before Us: A Novella in Pieces
Author: Eric LaRocca
First Published: October 25, 2022
Publisher: Bad Hand Books
Pages: 93
Genre: Horror, LGBTQ, Short Stories, Supernatural
Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating:

From the author of the viral sensation Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke comes They Were Here Before Us, a novella written in pieces, designed to be consumed as a single, cohesive work. The only thing more brutal than nature is love.

I have to begin this review by stating that I now worship Eric LaRocca and his prose. He is one of those authors that I had a feeling I’d like, and I had picked up a few books before deciding to start with this one. What a wild book to start with because, my goodness, it’s like nothing else I’ve ever read. They Were Here Before Us is a curious little collection of short stories centered on the brutality of love, a thing that is as natural as, well, nature.

The first four stories are told from the point of view of animals and bugs, something I didn’t expect, but I found each story to be horrifying but so incredibly engaging. The latter two stories have human protagonists, but they are no less heart-rending or gruesome. Serious animal cruelty warning, the content in this book is NOT for the faint of heart.

♥ All that Remains is Yours to Keep: I am absolutely stunned by just how grotesquely beautiful this story is. A beetle falls in love with the rotting corpse its family builds a nest in. The narration feels like a lover’s violent possession of their partner, and it is both horrifying and sad.

♥ Delicacies from a First Communion: A chimpanzee is left in the care of his owner’s hateful lover upon his death. This story was an absolutely brutal allegory for jealous lovers that made me feel really sad for the chimp.

♥ A God Made of Straw: A mother bird builds a nest in a scarecrow and learns about the capriciousness of children. Short and packs a punch, though I didn’t care for the supernatural aspect of this story.

♥ To Hurt the Weakest One: A very different tale about motherhood. I had no idea that meerkats were so vicious! A cruel little story with a surprisingly satisfying ending.

♥ Bird and Bug are Happy: Despite the title, this story is anything but happy. This one switches to human narration and follows two lesbians named Bird and Bug. This story is a tragedy about aging and the way that dementia changes the people that we love. This story features what appears to be BPSD, a condition that sometimes occurs with dementia.

♥ When It’s Dark Out: What a fantastic ending to this collection; this story was a supernatural creature feature that was so scary! It’s one where even looking at it causes bad things to happen; Josh Malerman and Bird Box walked so that Eric LaRocca could run! The ending was not my favorite, but I appreciated the themes of parental love between a stepdad and his stepson.

All-in-all, I loved this book and marveled at how bold and creative the entire collection is. These stories definitely push the boundaries on horror, and I have to reiterate that it is one that I would advise people to read content warnings if they are unsure. For myself, LaRocca hasn’t scared me off yet, so I will be happily diving into the rest of his catalog.

Content Warning: View Spoiler »Animal Abuse, Animal Attack, Animal Cruelty, Animal Death, BPSD, Child Death, Dead Baby, Dead Pregnant Woman, Dementia, Graphic Depictions of Death and Decomposition, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self-Harm, Self-Mutilation, Suicide, Violence, Zoophilia « Hide Spoiler