The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories

"The stories collected here are by turns confident, brutal, and breathtaking... must-read horror" The New York TimesA beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram Stoker Awards® finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. Includes an introduction from acclaimed bestselling author Chuck Wendig.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. In these narratives, 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…Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this is a much-praised collection of deeply unsettling, painfully dark tales.

but they also enter the realms of dark relationships, intrusions that change our lives forever, obviously not for the best, the fear of illness, of taking care, of love, of obsession, of attachment. They are nightmarish and they are deeply human. I loved them and also my jaw dropped at how daring they are, how far they go. Eric LaRocca is not only good: there’s courage in his literature.” Mariana Enriquez, author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed

“These stories are body horror at its best

and more revelatory

“The Trees Grew Because I Bled There holds you in thrall until the final transgressive act. Here is a collection of stories at once sophisticated and deeply unsettling, each bolder and more spellbinding

and ought to earn him some new ones." Publishers Weekly

"LaRocca displays his signature style of rendering grotesque and brutal subject matter in exquisite prose... visceral depictions of unhinged psyches and unflinching body horror throughout will please LaRocca’s fans

this is literary horror at its finest.” Tim Waggoner, author of Your Turn to Suffer

“Magnificent stories that explore the darkest depths of the human soul. Lyrical, heartbreaking, devastating

About the Author

Eric LaRocca (he/they) is a 2x Bram Stoker Award® finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. Named by Esquire as one of the “Writers Shaping Horror’s Next Golden Age” and praised by Locus as “one of strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fiction,” LaRocca’s notable works include Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Everything the Darkness Eats, The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories, and You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood. His upcoming novel, At Dark, I Become Loathsome, will be published in January 2025. The book has already been optioned for film by The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus. He currently resides in Boston, MA with his partner. For more information, please visit ericlarocca.com.

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