Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

I've been seeing this book circulating around social media and Goodreads so I decided to give it a go on audible. First, I think the audio version is definitely the way to go. The narrator did a wonderful job and hearing the conversations made it all the more creepy and disturbing.

I noticed some low reviews, and I can't help but wonder if the point of the book was lost on some.

This is a well-written, disturbing psychological horror and it's frightening to come to the realization that there are actually people out there like these characters.

Zoe is a manipulative person and a perfect representation of why a person should use caution when engaging in online relationships with total strangers.

But the true messed up character is Agnes. The author shows her complete desperation by having Agnes immediately open up to a stranger that showed the smallest amount of attention to her. The whole time I was listening I was shaking my head and saying to myself “ why the heck would she do that?” Agnes is truly ill and the author did an excellent job showing mental illness. Mental illness is not easy to write about, but the author nailed it. The story about the egg shells and Agnes' aunt was a nice touch to show why Agnes may be sick as an adult. That and the complete isolation she felt when she came out as a lesbian. Remember in the early 2000s, being gay wasn't very accepted and a lot of people didn't feel safe being open about it. I felt disturbed down to my core listening to the desperation towards the end from Agnes. It's scary because it's possible.

The horror elements were also done well, specifically with the grotesque descriptions of eating tainted meat, the crucification of a child and the animal abuse/torture

I enjoyed that the story was written as a series of emails and instant messenger chats. It was a quick, disturbing read that really makes you think.