{"product_id":"soil-9781444782950","title":"Soil","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Coen Brothers meet Crime and Punishment - with a Mississippi twist'hauntingly evocative' GuardianIn a darkly comic debut novel by an independent bookseller, an idealistic young farmer moves his family to a Mississippi flood basin, suffers financial ruin - and becomes increasingly paranoid he's being framed for murder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ehauntingly evocative\u003c\/b\u003e * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eA slow-burning noir influenced by the Southern Gothic tradition, \u003ci\u003eSoil \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ea hugely impressive debut\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eKornegay is superb\u003c\/b\u003e at evoking the minutiae of small-town America, and despite their different settings - \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e vividly depicts the sweltering Mississippi Delta - this heart-breaking tragedy bears comparison with Scott Smith's \u003ci\u003eA Simple Plan\u003c\/i\u003e and Jim Thompson's \u003ci\u003eThe Killer Inside Me\u003c\/i\u003e. * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003epart Greek tragedy and part darkly comic Deep South romp\u003c\/b\u003e. The language which Kornegay uses to describe the mud plains of the Mississippi is \u003cb\u003ewonderfully evocative\u003c\/b\u003e with \u003cb\u003ea suspense-filled finale which will make your heart pound\u003c\/b\u003e * Press Association *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnnerving but touching, dark yet hopeful, gritty but oh, so smooth\u003c\/b\u003e; \u003ci\u003eSoil \u003c\/i\u003eis the \u003cb\u003edeeply human\u003c\/b\u003e story of one man's personal apocalypse. Mississippi independent bookstore owner \u003cb\u003eJamie Kornegay has penned a debut novel that will establish him as a major force in the pantheon of elite Southern writers\u003c\/b\u003e. I spent most of the time wondering why he didn't write a book sooner. It's not fair to keep something so wonderful away from readers. Would it be weird if I read it again? * Book Riot *\u003cbr\u003ePeppered with \u003cb\u003ea great cast of odd and unusual characters\u003c\/b\u003e, Kornegay delivers \u003cb\u003ea novel above and beyond the Coen Brothers comparisons\u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eMoving and affecting\u003c\/b\u003e this book will suck you in from the opening pages. It will have you wincing and pleading, hoping and laughing and is \u003cb\u003ea highly accomplished debut\u003c\/b\u003e from a distinctive new voice in American fiction -- Jon Page * Pages and Pages Bookstore *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ea very assured first novel and a pleasure to read\u003c\/b\u003e. The portraits of the leading characters are entirely convincing and the interactions carry a sense of impending calamity that propels the narrative to the final showdown. Jay in particular is well-drawn: an intelligent, thoughtful man frustrated by the trivial obsessions of modern culture and the failure of his enthusiasms, on the borderline of complete breakdown...\u003ci\u003e \u003cb\u003eSoil \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eis very good stuff, and I look forward to seeing more from Jamie Kornegay before too long\u003c\/b\u003e * Crimereview.co.uk *\u003cbr\u003ea \u003cb\u003ebrilliantly dark\u003c\/b\u003e comic novel * Prima Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eJamie Kornegay is a fantastic writer, and has created a darkly funny tale of murder, accusation and paranoia with some crazy-funny dialogue thrown in for good measure. \u003cb\u003eIf you liked \u003ci\u003eFargo \u003c\/i\u003eyou'll love \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e * Reading Room With A View *\u003cbr\u003eA slow burner at first, it soon builds into \u003cb\u003ea page-turning crescendo and a suspense-filled finale \u003c\/b\u003ethat \u003cb\u003ewill leave you opened-mouthed in horror\u003c\/b\u003e * South Wales Evening Post *\u003cbr\u003eMarked by \u003cb\u003ewry humour\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eunforgettable characters\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eriveting suspense\u003c\/b\u003e, Jamie Kornegay's \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea spellbinding Greek tragedy played out against the backdrop of the choked river-bottoms, sprawling fields, and dusty roads of the Mississippi Delta\u003c\/b\u003e. A brilliant, haunting portrait of the havoc one desperate man's decisions and dreams can wreak upon himself and those around him. This remarkable novel springs from rich earth indeed, and the end result is \u003cb\u003ea book that will leave readers reeling\u003c\/b\u003e. * Skip Horack, author of THE EDEN HUNTER *\u003cbr\u003eJamie Kornegay's \u003cb\u003epowerful \u003c\/b\u003edebut novel, \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e, is just as \u003cb\u003erich, dark and primal\u003c\/b\u003e as the title suggests and it is hard not to discuss the various characters' plights without slipping into metaphor as they both literally and figuratively dig and tunnel and turn up all that is buried. This novel is \u003cb\u003ebrimming with suspense\u003c\/b\u003e while continuously locating the fine line separating good from evil. Just as the soil delivers all that is decomposed and lost, it also brings promise of future growth and in this case, it is in the form of the protagonist's son. Kornegay's rendering of hope and innocence against the backdrop of depravity and darkness is \u003cb\u003eadmirable and moving\u003c\/b\u003e. * Jill McCorkle, author of LIFE AFTER LIFE *\u003cbr\u003eA darkly droll, epic novel told in a style I'd have to call a deceptively swift amble through a most vividly rendered, watery Delta world. \u003cb\u003eAnyone from Coleridge to Twain to Faulkner to William Gay would have loved reading this book, and you will, too\u003c\/b\u003e. * Brad Watson, author of THE HEAVEN OF MERCURY *\u003cbr\u003eJamie Kornegay's novel \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice\u003c\/b\u003e. It's everything I want a novel to be, a fine story well-told with characters I won't forget, set in a world so real you can smell it and taste it. \u003cb\u003eKornegay's something special\u003c\/b\u003e. * Steve Yarborough, author of THE REALM OF LAST CHANCES *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLet us stand, brothers and sisters, to applaud the arrival of an exquisitely deranged new voice to American fiction\u003c\/b\u003e. Dig your hands into this \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e to find gutty and peppery writing, an almost recklessly bold imagination, audacious empathy, and a story so twisty and volatile that nearly every turn feels electrifyingly unexpected. * Jonathan Miles, author of WANT NOT *\u003cbr\u003eFirst, with his debut novel, \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e, Jamie Kornegay has delivered \u003cb\u003ea rip-roaring, sucker-punch of a tale, a page-turning lightning bolt of prose that crackles with keen insight, bold storytelling, pathos, and humor\u003c\/b\u003e. There's more to it then that, however: If tragedy and comedy are the same object, only viewed through different lenses, Kornegay has minted a turbulent world where nothing is quite as it seems. The wretched is often hilarious, the gruesome elicits an uncomfortable chuckle of recognition, the well-meaning are revealed as self-serving and finally, digging through these layers, we see the humbling and deeply touching struggle for love, for understanding, in a world that offers small hope for either. * Jeffrey Lent, author of IN THE FALL *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoil \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ea super fine modern mash up!\u003c\/b\u003e At turns f\u003cb\u003eunny and tragic, reverent and profane\u003c\/b\u003e. Our mutual Godfather Barry Hannah, would be proud: Jamie Kornegay has written a book that celebrates the beautiful, messed up soul of the south. * Darcey Steinke, author of SUICIDE BLONDE *\u003cbr\u003eMississippi has done it again, given us yet \u003cb\u003eanother brilliant writer\u003c\/b\u003e. Welcome, Jamie Kornegay, to a long line of kick-ass storytellers. \u003ci\u003eSoil \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003eone of the most memorable novels I've read in years\u003c\/b\u003e, with a killer story told in killer language. \u003cb\u003eHighly, highly recommended\u003c\/b\u003e * Tom Franklin, author of CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJamie Kornegay's prose is as rich and fertile as the Mississippi Delta landscape that spreads across the pages of \u003ci\u003eSoil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. It is poetic, both in its language and in the soulful complexity of its characters, all of them fallen and trudging along the hard worn path of redemption on dirty hands and knees * Michael F. Smith, author of RIVERS *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739251880279,"sku":"9781444782950","price":8.54,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781444782950.jpg?v=1720051645","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/soil-9781444782950","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}