Book Review | The Trees Grew Because I Bled There

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca is a collection that meditates on grief, estranged relationships, and the pain of watching your loved ones slowly age and die. The stories here unflinchingly explore the darkest part of the human psyche during the most difficult trials of a person’s life.

Perhaps due to their length, unfortunately some of the short stories fell flat to me compared to Larocca’s longer works like We Can Never Leave This Place or They Were Here Before Us. The first story especially felt incomplete to me because I lacked enough history between the father and the kid for the ending to pack an emotional punch.

However, these are the standouts of the collection for me.

- Bodies Are for Burning. An aunt struggles with her compulsion to set things on fire as she cares for her young niece. This is an unnerving and poignant look at a lesser-talked about aspect of OCD: dealing with intrusive thoughts.

- The Strange Thing We Become. Told through an internet thread, user mummyqueerest documents their struggle with coming to terms with their partner’s terminal cancer diagnosis.

- The Trees Grew Because I Bled There. An allegory for a toxic relationship where one person gives and the other just takes. Think of it as a messed-up version of The Giving Tree ... only with human body parts.

- Please Leave or I’m Going to Hurt You. A gay man wrestles with his complicated feelings toward his father. This one is an emotionally heartbreaking read that delves into a taboo subject matter with nuance and care.

Overall, this collection offers a compelling character study on how different people react to love and loss and it’s still a worthwhile read for those who love beautifully poetic dark fiction.

Thank you, NetGalley and Titan Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : March 7, 2023

Publisher : Titan Books

IBSN : 9781803363004

Pages : 220

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