You know what you’re getting into when reading something by Eri LaRocca. At least you really should, reading something by this author without having the stomach for it would be like your most squeamish friend wandering blithely into a showing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While this collection of stories was in much the same vein as his other work (Things Have Gotten Worse Since Spoke, You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood, etc.) the short novella format really allows his horror to come through even more effectively. You have just enough time to feel like you’re living in the world of the story and when something terrible and stomach churning happens and the tale culminates it feels like eating a nice French pastry or bite of perfectly proportioned sushi, just enough for a mouthful. Everything LaRocca writes is disturbing, sure, but All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn and the eponymous This Skin Was Once Mine are viscerally upsetting in an incredibly specific and unique way. The audiobook narration for this collection was also spot on, every narrator was absolutely in their element and their delivery helped make the stories hit home. I'd recommend this audiobook to anyone who thinks they can handle it and also doesn’t mind missing a bit of sleep.