THE JAM BY DAN SOULE [BOOK REVIEW]

17/11/2021

HORROR FICTION REVIEW THE JAM BY DAN SOULE.jpg

Soule lays the breadcrumbs and leaves you to pick up the pieces and put them together. The ending wasn’t what I expected, and it will possibly frustrate some reader but, if a story takes you somewhere you didn’t quite expect and leaves you thinking about the ending for the rest of the day, then that’s a job well done.

The Jam (2021) by Dan Soule

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09KNJYFGQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rotten Row Press (23 Nov. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 320 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported

Review by: Mark Walker

It's a traffic jam, that's all. And traffic can be a real nightmare. Everything will get back to normal soon enough. There's no cause for concern.

While people get out of their cars and pass the time with fellow travellers, fourteen-year-old Max sits in the back of his family's campervan, with a knife hidden in his pocket.

Those on the road wonder about what's causing the blockage up ahead. Max worries about why his dad sprung the road trip on them and wishes his mother would do more than stare at her feet. In cars and trucks, some bitch about being late, others hope no one is hurt. At least, they do until the screaming begins, and then the monster inside Max's van isn't the only thing for him to be scared of in The Jam.

Warning – some very minor spoilers follow!

That synopsis probably won’t prepare you for The Jam. What sounds like domestic drama playing out against the backdrop of a typical afternoon on a British motorway has a lot more to thank The Mist for than any kitchen sink.

What starts out as a simple traffic jam rapidly spirals into a nightmare for Soule’s disparate and desperate band of characters. Thrown together by a common crisis, a group of very different people come together as things get seriously weird and people start dying. Whether they die by the hands (claws?) of half-glimpsed, monstrous predators or from in-fighting and back-stabbing, you will have to read to find out.

So far, so ‘The Mist’ – mysterious accident? Check! Unseen creatures picking people off one by one? Check! Tense characters who wouldn’t even like each other under normal circumstances? Check!
So far so King.

But, believe me, I am not being flippant or cynical; I did find myself thinking of King as I was reading. Although Soule doesn’t give himself much room in the novella’s 42,000 words, he still manages to weave in enough back story and character development to get you invested in his players. This is an aspect of King’s work that I have always enjoyed and I was glad to find it here as well. You don’t just get a convenient cast of gore-fodder, but a nicely fleshed out group of people… some of who might even deserve to survive.

Yes, the characters might seem a bit stereotypical; an arrogant, self-serving lifestyle guru, a philanthropic footballer with a murky past, a victim of domestic violence desperate to rescue her son from her abusive husband and a sex-worker to name a few. But that’s what you want in a story like this, characters with flaws, characters with history, characters with the potential to flip on a sixpence and tear someone’s face off. The only thing we didn’t have was a crazy priest for the Top Trump of horror stereotypes! But, you know what? I wouldn’t have minded if there was one! Who DOESN’T love a crazy priest?

While the book does share a lot of DNA with something like The Mist, this is no lazy copy and the story goes off in all sorts of directions – some you might guess, others you probably won’t. And that is what I enjoyed about it – I was lulled at the beginning, convinced I knew where this story was going and not expecting any surprises, but Soule tricked me and I soon realised I didn’t have a clue! It is difficult to go into The Jam’s plot any more without starting to give things away, but I was carried along nicely and, for the most part, didn’t predict what was happening or question the plot twists and turns.

Soule’s writing is concise and well-structured, never labouring the point and never getting boring. I think he has managed to cram a lot into a short space and it mostly feel unrushed. He successfully builds tension in some scenes and then turns your stomach in others, but never goes over the top.

My main criticism would probably be saved for the ending which I found to be a bit confused, mainly because it does feel like it comes up very quickly, so it just needs you to pay attention. I did have to skip back a few pages at one point to check what I had just read and piece together the loose ends, but I am still not quite sure if that was down to me or Soule being slightly obfuscatory in the final couple of chapters. Either way, pay attention and it will be fine - Soule lays the breadcrumbs and leaves you to pick up the pieces and put them together. The ending wasn’t what I expected, and it will possibly frustrate some reader but, if a story takes you somewhere you didn’t quite expect and leaves you thinking about the ending for the rest of the day, then that’s a job well done. Even if you didn’t like it.

The Jam is a great little novella by a talented writer that I can’t criticise as I had fun reading it. It is a quick read, just 42,000 words and can be easily finished in one sitting. I enjoyed Soule’s style, which was detailed but not overly fussy and he conjures up a couple of quite unpleasant scenes to delight the ghouls amongst you. It was good enough to make me consider other books by Soule and, to be honest, what have you got to lose? Other than a couple of hours on an afternoon?

Soule’s caution for his book:
Reader guidance: contains themes of domestic abuse, scenes of violence and gore, moderately coarse language, and occasional sexual references.

The Jam: A dark page turning modern horror full of twists (Fright Nights)

Traffic can be a real nightmare...

It's just another day on a busy highway until everything comes to a screeching halt. The jam tails back forever. But there's no cause for concern, no reason to panic. It's a traffic jam, that's all. Everything will get back to normal soon enough.

While people get out of their cars and pass the time with fellow travellers, fourteen-year-old Max sits in the back of his family's campervan, with a knife hidden in his pocket. Those outside wonder about what's causing the blockage up ahead. Max worries about why his dad sprung the road trip on them and wishes his mother would do more than stare at her feet. There's some bitching on the road about being late, others hope no one was hurt. At least, they do until the screaming begins, and then the monster inside Max's van isn't the only thing for him to be scared of in The Jam.

A tense and claustrophobic story akin to King's The Mist and Barker's A Hellbound Heart, The Jam will take you on a thrilling horror ride where nothing and no one are as they seem.

Reader guidance
This book contains themes of domestic abuse, scenes of violence and gore, moderately coarse language, and mild sexual references.