Title: Hard Luck Jenny

Author: David Sodergren

Release date: October 3rd, 2025

*Huge thanks to David for the digital ARC of this one!*

Ahhhhhh, the novella.

In my opinion, often the perfect length for horror storytelling. 60-120mins of reading time, with a massive story packed in and not nary a room to breathe between pages, it grabs me, holds me (sometimes caresses me, oh la la, lol!) and won’t let go until the very – and often times – bitter end. Perfect.

Now, Sodergren has released a few novellas, both as himself and as Carl John Lee, but recently he’s been focused on the mid-length novels in his releases, so a return to the novella length had me excited. Double exciting (though also with a touch a sadness, I will admit), I had no idea what to expect with this one, as this was the first book of his own excluding ‘The Forgotten Island’ (and not counting Carl John Lee’s ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’) that I didn’t beta read. Though, saying that, we did message back and forth a bit about what he was working on and he’d mentioned a few things from this one.

So, with an open mind and an hour set aside to read this, I dove in and was blasted straight in the face.

What I liked: The story follows chronic urinator Dennis, who is driving on a rainy Scotland evening. He needs to get back home as he works in the morning. His frequent pee breaks mean he’s meticulously planned out his route, but when a downed tree forces a detour, he ends up in the middle of nowhere and accompanied by a bursting-at-the-seams-bladder. A few years prior, he had an accident while driving drunk, and ever since he’s remained sober. Which forces him to make a heavy choice, when he rolls into a small town and finds the only place open is a pub. But nature’s calling and he heads in.

Up until this point, the story is fairly straight forward, if not a touch silly in the set up. Dennis is on the phone with his wife and leaves the phone in the car as he heads in, but things really ramp up once inside.

Here’s where Sodergren shines with storytelling. You immediately feel like you’ve been in this pub. Even with scant details of the actual location, you vividly picture it in your mind. Same with the folks he interacts with. Like the bartender who is pissed off that Dennis orders ‘only a Coke.’ You feel like you’ve interacted with him before. And once in the bathroom, he runs into an older man who berates him for not being more respectful to Jenny, though Dennis doesn’t know who she is and can only assume it’s the gorgeous lass with the ram’s head adorning her head. And why should he be more respectful? It’s her recently deceased husband’s wake. Colin has died and Dennis finds himself in a bind. And as he tries to get free of the pub and make his escape, he discovers that the locals are nuts and just maybe he won’t be able to leave after all.

From that point on the novella is campy, riveting and filled with total chaos. Dennis tries to flee, Jenny and her family are having none of it and it mixes Ray Garton’s ‘The Folks’ with Dan Howarth’s ‘Last Night of Freedom’ fantastically.

The ending is a bit of gruesome fun, highlighting the insanity of the people in this small town, the pub itself and the mess Dennis has found himself in.

What I didn’t like: I’ve never been a fan of books where the interactions between characters are so far off the wagon that it makes me frustrated and Sodergren used that method here. While it works to showcase the complete lunacy of the people and place, every time Dennis interacted with someone I wanted to scream at my Kindle haha! So, while it fits the book and was purposeful by David, it completely annoyed me and at times pushed this book to the very edges of Bizarro fiction, which I really struggle with.

Additionally, I wished there was more about the ‘why.’ The why of this community being like this and why this is happening and at this particular moment, why it focuses on Jenny.

Why you should buy this: At this point do I really need to suggest why you should buy a Sodergren book? He’s one of the top Indie authors out there and his books are on every second or third IG and Tik Tok book post I see. BUT, if I was being forced to suggest why you should read this, I’d tell you that this novella is a rampaging ball of brutality and fun. Equal parts absurdity and carnage, David writes with such glee that you’ll zip through this one and find yourself sweating and breathless.

Another winner from Sodergren, an author you need to be reading if you’ve not read yet.