You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood by Eric LaRocca

Reviewed by Sandra Ruttan

There’s a writing quote attributed to Elmore Leonard. “I try to leave out the parts people skip.” It’s soon readily apparent that Eric LaRocca embraces this approach to writing, though whether he leaves out the parts of stories you might skip is the question.

The parts readers might skip varies. Some don't want a lot of character history or description, while it's probably fair to say many fantasy readers love those components because they're part of the worldbuilding. Others want to focus on the action, while others are drawn to wistful gazes and sexual tension.

Ultimately, every reader decides what they think their readers want and try to skip, or limit, the undesirable bits. That seems to be what Eric LaRocca's done here, and it isn't hard to see why many readers love his books. He uses a brisk writing style, and that gives the read a punchy feel. The story moves at a brisk pace … When you’re in it.

There are three parts to this novella. One is the actual novella. There are also poems, and then there are transcriptions of exchanges between Martyr and Ambrose. The novella moves between the different pieces, with frequent gear shifts.

I have to admit I think that worked against my ADHD brain a bit. It can be easy enough for me to get distracted, and the jumps kept pulling me out of what I considered the core story. Now, that doesn’t mean it’ll be a problem for everyone, and I recognize that’s a subjective variable. Other readers may feel it works brilliantly for them.

This book is perfect for people that love punchy stories that move at a breakneck speed. I also felt that Tamsen’s story arc was ideal for a YA/NA audience, and would appeal to readers interested in video games. On its own, I think it would have worked well as a novella.

Other readers may find the parts with Martyr and Ambrose far more appealing, and be interested in that look inside the mind of a serial killer. 

One of my writing niggles is that I’m not a fan of POV ping pong. However, when the narrative zoomed out of Tamsen’s POV and went omniscient, it was always made very clear that’s what was happening, so readers won’t be confused by those shifts. 
The best way to describe LaRocca’s style, to me, is to compare stories to the ocean. Some people like water skiing or surfing, they glide along the surface moving quickly, still in their world but getting glimpses of the world beneath the waves. Others go snorkeling or scuba diving and immerse themselves in the underwater world. Both options provide ample entertainment and enjoyment for the right participants. To me, LaRocca isn’t an author that should be judged as good or bad; this is an example of needing to evaluate a book based on taste. There are times I’m in the mood for a story that moves at a blistering speed, and LaRocca’s the perfect author for those occasions. In the novella, he delivers an atmospheric story with a growing sense of dread and expectation and delivers the goods. It shows off his writing strengths with minimal descriptive details and worldbuilding and delivers a compelling read.

CWs: sexual content, use of ‘f’ slur, violence, torture, child death, body desecration, murder, grief, abandonment 

Sandra Ruttan is an author and editor, and the founder of Dark Dispatch. Dark Dispatch will publish The Dead Inside, an identity horror anthology, March 1, 2022. For more information, visit https://darkdispatch.com/