BOOK REVIEW: SOON BY LOIS MURPHY

Soon may have several flaws that hold it back from becoming an instant classic in my eyes, but it is nevertheless a book worthy of your attention.  Just don't say I didn't warn you about that ending.  

The town under siege from mysterious forces is a well-worn trope in horror fiction, from The Mist  and  Under the  Dome by Stephen King, to Chasm by Stephen Laws, and many more, it is a motif that runs the risk of becoming boring and staid.  

In Soon by Lois Murphy, Nebulah, a small town in the Australian outback is in the final throes of its existence thanks to a mysterious mist that has laid siege to the town.  A mist that arrives every night after sundown, and spells certain death to anyone foolish enough to have been caught outside.  Nobody knows  where the mist came from, what it is, and if it will ever leave.  Leaving the few remaining residents to band together in an uneasy alliance to ensure each others safety and survival.  However, as their numbers dwindle and long stand feuds boil to the surface, the last few residents of Nebulah must fight for their way of life.  

While this may sound like we have heard it all before, Soon  has enough going for it to set it apart from the rest of the pack.  Initial comparisons will always point to King's masterpiece The Mist, which is fair enough as there are several similarities between the two stories.  However, the most significant difference between the two stories is perhaps the biggest saving grace for Soon.  

In The Mist, the Mist takes centre stage where it is a constant backdrop to the events of the book; it is a continual threat on every page.  Soon takes a different approach, the mist and  its horrors takes a sideways step out of the spotlight and, for the most part, remains on the periphery of the story, thereby focusing the emphasis  onto the few remaining townsfolk. It's a bold move, one that creates more of an overbearing foreshadowing of horror, rather than the outright horror of King's story.  And even when the mist takes centre stage, Murphy keeps the blood and guts to a bare minimum.  While this may not appeal to the more hardened of horror fans, the ominous supernatural tone of the novel is handled exceptionally well. Murphy's use of apprehension and dread to ramp up the terror, is more than enough to keep the readers' interest as the events in Nebulah unfold.  

Her characterisation and the interplay between the small cast is also another strong point of the novel.  There is a real sense of camaraderie between them, with the friendships and rivalries forming the backbone of the narrative.  She expertly captures the feel of a small town in the final death throes of its existence.  There is a painful, bittersweet undercurrent to their lives, one that would still be present even if they weren't under siege.  For the most part, these are characters who are here because they have nowhere else to go, which goes some way to explaining why they remain there despite the horrors they must face every night.  

There is a real sense of melancholy that permeates both the town and its residents, they both broken, and on their last legs, it is almost as if the town and the townsfolk need each other to survive, in some sort of weird toxic symbiotic relationship, and maybe that is one of the themes of the book, that we each levitate or sink to the place in the world where we  can exists without really existing.  

Which brings to me one of my issues with the book, unlike say The Mist or Under the Dome the residents of   Nebulah aren't physically trapped there, yes their whole lives are cemented to the town.  Why on earth they decide not to up sticks and move out is never fully justified.  I get that they have no money and no family to lean on.  I find it hard to accept that anyone would stay in a place with a killer mist that appears without fail every night. Sadly this brings the believability of the narrative crashing down somewhat. Yes the story in itself is fantastical, but the motives and drive of the characters require a certain degree of grounding in reality and logic, and by not having a force or reason to keep them trapped robs the story of some of its power and potential.  

My second major issue with the book is with the ending, I won't say much about it, except it is one of my most hated ways of ending a story, especially when there is either no signalling to it in the rest of the narrative.  Or when there is no explanation or reason for it to exist after the big reveal.  It's been done a fair few times, and in my humble opinion, it has only been successfully pulled off in a minimal number of cases.

However, and this is a big, however, despite these two major issues with the book, I would recommend reading it, it is exceptionally well written, with a painter's eye for the finer details of pacing plot and characterisation.  Murphey turns what could have been another haunted house novel, into a spooky, personal and ambiguous tale.  In many cases, when an author fails to explain what is going on fully, the story feels flat and empty.  Murphey's assured writing prevents this from happening, and the ambiguity of what, where, and the significance of the mist adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.  

Soon may have several flaws that hold it back from becoming an instant classic in my eyes, but it is nevertheless a book worthy of your attention.  Just don't say I didn't warn you about that ending.  

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