Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke chronicles an online relationship between two women that begins in an early 2000s message board. Through emails and instant messages, Agnes and Zoe form a connection after Agnes responds to Zoe's listing about an antique apple peeler. Their digital exchanges escalate from casual conversation into an intense dynamic marked by confessions and requests. The women establish rules and rituals that push boundaries, testing limits of trust and control in their virtual world. The novella presents their entire relationship through archived messages and correspondence, allowing readers to witness the progression in real time. The story takes place entirely through text exchanges, creating an intimate window into the characters' private communications. At its core, this horror novella examines isolation, power dynamics, and the ways technology enables both connection and manipulation. The work raises questions about intimacy, consent, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy in digital spaces.

Reader reviews show extreme reactions to this novella's disturbing content and unconventional format. Readers appreciated: - The unique epistolary structure through emails and instant messages - Build-up of psychological tension - Effective body horror elements - Short length that maintains intensity - Creative use of vintage internet culture Common criticisms: - Too short for the price ($10.99 for 56 pages) - Shock value without deeper substance - Predictable plot progression - Underdeveloped characters - Gratuitous gore and violence Ratings: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (73,000+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (5,800+ ratings) StoryGraph: 3.3/5 Many readers noted the book tries too hard to be shocking, with one Goodreads reviewer calling it "torture porn masquerading as literary horror." Others praised its experimental format, with an Amazon reviewer noting it "perfectly captures early-2000s internet culture." The extreme content and brief length remain the most debated aspects among readers.

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🔖 The book was originally published as an ebook by Weirdpunk Books in 2021 before its massive success led to a print release by Titan Books in 2022. 📚 At just 116 pages, this epistolary horror novella sparked intense debate on BookTok, with readers divided between those praising its disturbing uniqueness and others finding it unnecessarily grotesque. 🖋️ Author Eric LaRocca wrote the first draft of the story in just three days, inspired by early 2000s internet chat rooms and message boards. 💻 The story unfolds entirely through online messages exchanged between two women in 2000, authentically capturing the feel of early internet communication platforms like AOL. 🏆 The novella won the 2022 Splatterpunk Award for Best Short Story Collection/Anthology, cementing its place in contemporary extreme horror literature.