whatsleahreading

  Advanced praise of "The Tree Grew Because I Bled There" hailed this collection of eight short stories as "deeply-unsettling, painfully-dark." Fortunately for true horror aficionados and unfortunately for readers like me who only think we truly love horror, that description is correct. While it's an indisputable fact that Eric LaRocca's writing is gripping, vivid, and the marker of a great storyteller, many--if not most--of these stories were too harrowing for my taste. In picking this up in the early morning, I genuinely cried because one of these stories unsettled me so deeply. So for readers of a fainter heart like mine, proceed with caution, because this collection is specifically body horror of the most grotesque and the most haunting form. For readers who already know and love LaRocca, I suspect they'll be thrilled that he has a seemingly depthless reservoir of inspiration from which to spin short stories that will keep you glued to the page. Wh

  In a secluded valley in Pennsylvania at the turn of the century lies St. Vincent's, an orphanage for boys. Run by the charity of several priests, St. Vincent's is home to Peter Barlow--priest-in-training and one of the oldest--and dozens of other boys. Their days are filled with the same austere monotony; scant meals that keep all of them just behind the brink of starving, chores throughout the orphanage, and prayer. Then one night, a dying stranger arrives at the orphanage, and everything changes. A dark presence permeates the walls of St. Vincent's, and with it, all semblance of order and faith begin to crumble. Boys that were once timid and meek lurk in the shadows with menacing intent, some boys disappear, and Peter is left not knowing who to trust. "Boys in the Valley," is, as its advanced praise suggests, a thematic nod to both "The Exorcist" and "Lord of the Flies." Much more than that, however, is the fact that it's one of the