{"id":14593,"date":"2020-09-11T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/?p=14593"},"modified":"2020-09-06T15:14:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T19:14:52","slug":"review-loop-jeremy-robert-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-loop-jeremy-robert-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14594\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-loop-jeremy-robert-johnson\/loop\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/loop.jpg?fit=331%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"331,500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"loop\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/loop.jpg?fit=331%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-14594\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/loop.jpg?resize=232%2C350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"cover of The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson\" width=\"232\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/loop.jpg?resize=232%2C350&amp;ssl=1 232w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/loop.jpg?w=331&amp;ssl=1 331w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 232px) 85vw, 232px\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Loop-Jeremy-Robert-Johnson\/dp\/1534454292\/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Loop<\/em> by Jeremy Robert Johnson<\/a><br \/>\nSaga Press (September 29, 2020)<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>320 pages; $26.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Reviewed by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SadieHartmann\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sadie Hartmann<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know, if I didn&#8217;t have to sleep, eat, or tend to the family during this stay-at-home order, I would have sat and read this one straight through. This book is everything.<\/p>\n<p>Cue some strange intro music like the eerie riffs from <em>X-Files<\/em> or the digital notes of that synthesized melody from <em>Stranger Things<\/em> and settle into this binge-worthy genre mashup. Best known for his bizarro-horror style and flavor, Jeremy Robert Johnson is an unexpected hero for the coming-of-age conspiracy thriller genre.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Wait, is that a genre, or did JRJ just invent it?<\/p>\n<p>In any event, this book covers a lot of ground and offers something for everyone: A strong, female protagonist named Lucy; witty (hilarious) sidekick besties, Brewer and Bucket; and a rocket-fueled storyline about a biologically engineered virus leaked from a lab and wreaking havoc in a small, rural town in the Pacific Northwest. There\u2019s even a likable radio personality known as the Nightwatchman that gave me strong <em>Pump Up the Volume<\/em> vibes. Do you remember <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xLDehtTqyig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that movie with Christian Slater<\/a>? Well I do.\u00a0 One of my favorite aspects of Johnson\u2019s writing is the way everything is stylistically cinematic to read like a cult-classic from a familiar era (definitely the late \u201880s to mid-\u201990s).<\/p>\n<p>But wait! That&#8217;s not all!<\/p>\n<p>Given that this is a Jeremy Robert Johnson novel, readers can expect thoughtfully executed social commentary&#8212;primarily race and class. I enjoyed how Johnson utilized tension between kids from middle class families and the privilege that rich kids enjoy. Folded into this tension is Johnson\u2019s natural-born talent for wit and sarcasm as well as his flair for spot-on pop culture references&#8212;a trifecta of storytelling gifts that Johnson\u2019s fanbase has come to expect from his books.<\/p>\n<p>On that note, this is where I recommend JRJ\u2019s collection of stories, <em>Entropy in Bloom<\/em>. <em>The Loop<\/em> showcases his talent for breathing authenticity into his characters through realistic dialog and meaningful relationships in a way that I have seen in his short story work but is fully realized in this novel.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Loop<\/em> is a unique creation capable of melting even the hardest hearts. I dare you not to feel your feelings. This is a favorite book of 2020 for sure, and possibly my new favorite book of Johnson\u2019s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson Saga Press (September 29, 2020) 320 pages; $26.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book Reviewed by\u00a0Sadie Hartmann You know, if I didn&#8217;t have to sleep, eat, or tend to the family during this stay-at-home order, I would have sat and read this one straight through. This book is everything. Cue some strange &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cemeterydance.com\/extras\/review-loop-jeremy-robert-johnson\/\" class=\"more-link button bg-gold white\">Continue Reading!<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Review: The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[80],"tags":[351,1572,79,1545,2103],"class_list":["post-14593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-jeremy-robert-johnson","tag-mother-horror","tag-reviews","tag-sadie-hartmann","tag-the-loop"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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