At Dark I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca
- Wardley Love
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 21
A bleak, beautiful horror novella that blends trauma, grief, and strange tenderness into something uniquely unsettling.
If you’ve read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, you know Eric LaRocca’s particular gift for writing horror that lingers long after the final page.
With At Dark I Become Loathsome, LaRocca returns with another intimate and haunting exploration of loss, guilt, and connection, wrapped inside a chilling, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
🚀 The Setup
Following a devastating personal tragedy, Jonah finds himself adrift and isolated. In his search for comfort, he begins a strange, tentative connection with another lost soul who carries scars of their own.
What begins as a cautious bond slowly twists into something darker and more fragile as both characters confront their inner wounds.
Set against a bleak, quietly claustrophobic backdrop, the novella unfolds like a whispered confession, exploring the blurry space where grief becomes compulsion and love becomes something unrecognizable.
✨ What’s Good
LaRocca’s prose remains razor-sharp, spare, and profoundly affecting. Every sentence feels intentional, pulling the reader into an atmosphere that is as emotionally raw as it is unsettling.
The book handles its central themes of grief, trauma, and human connection with a kind of strange tenderness. Even as horror elements rise, the emotional core stays grounded.
The intimacy between the characters feels painfully honest. Their relationship is messy, uncomfortable, and complicated in a way that avoids easy tropes.
LaRocca’s ability to make the mundane feel eerie remains a strength. Simple scenes carry an underlying dread that slowly builds throughout the novella.
⚠️ What’s Slightly Less Good
The pacing may feel too slow for readers expecting traditional horror beats. This is a psychological descent more than a plot-driven story.
The novella’s brevity means some side elements and world details remain only lightly sketched. The tight focus works well for the atmosphere but may leave some readers wanting a more in-depth exploration.
🧹 Final Thoughts
At Dark I Become Loathsome is another example of Eric LaRocca’s ability to craft horror that cuts far closer to the bone than monsters or gore ever could.
This is a novella about wounds that do not heal, about the strange ways people reach for connection, and about the fine line between love and destruction.
It will not be for everyone, but for readers who appreciate horror that trades spectacle for emotional weight, it is quietly devastating.
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