Items related to Soil: A Novel

Kornegay, Jamie Soil: A Novel ISBN 13: 9781476750811

Soil: A Novel - Hardcover

 
9781476750811: Soil: A Novel
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
A darkly comic debut novel by an independent bookseller about an idealistic young farmer who moves his family to a Mississippi flood basin, suffers financial ruin—and becomes increasingly paranoid he’s being framed for murder.

It all began with a simple dream. An ambitious young environmental scientist hoped to establish a sustainable farm on a small patch of river-bottom land nestled among the Mississippi hills. Jay Mize convinced his wife Sandy to move their six-year-old son away from town and to a rich and lush parcel where Jacob could run free and Jay could pursue the dream of a new and progressive agriculture for the twenty-first century. He did not know that within a year he’d be ruined, that flood and pestilence would invade his fledgling farm or that his wife and son would leave him to pick up the pieces by himself.

When Jay Mize discovers a corpse on his property, he is sure his bad luck has come to a head and he is being framed. Were Jay in his right mind, he might have reported the body to the police at the very same moment they were searching for a missing tourist from Ohio. He might have not dragged the body back to his farm under the cover of night and spent hours disposing of it. But Jay Mize is not in his right mind. His mounting paranoia is accelerated by a hot-rod local deputy, nosing around with questions about the missing tourist and making dark comments about Jay’s estranged wife Sandy. It’s enough to make an honest man a maniac...

Drawing on elements of classic Southern noir, dark comedy, and modern dysfunction, Jamie Kornegay’s novel is about the gravitational pull of one man’s apocalypse and the hope that maybe, just maybe, he can be reeled in from the brink. Readers will “applaud the arrival of an exquisitely deranged new voice to American fiction” (Jonathan Miles, award-winning author of Want Not and Dear American Airlines).

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:
Jamie Kornegay lives in the Mississippi Delta, where he moved in 2006 to establish an independent bookstore, Turnrow Book Co. Before that he was a bookseller, events coordinator, and radio show producer at the famous Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi. He studied creative fiction under Barry Hannah at the University of Mississippi. Soil is his first novel.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:
Soil

1

Before the flood, a stouthearted young couple was putting down roots in the nearby town of Madrid, where they’d settled after college—a man, his wife, and their young son. They painstakingly refurbished a house and planted an attractive garden in the back, where the father let the toddler dig and explore and pluck green tomatoes too soon from the vine. Smiles were never absent from their thankful faces, and if there were troubles then no one bothered to recall them. But a young man, especially one so clever, will grow restless and sometimes throw away everything when he turns elsewhere to affirm his life’s purpose.

The trouble started with compost. He first began making and experimenting with it for his job in soil management at the local Farm Service Agency. He started small, a few wooden bins in the backyard of the home on Nutt Street. He collected kitchen scraps and coffee grounds, raked leaves and grass clippings. He spread one ingredient over the next in lasagna layers, sprayed them down with the water hose, and turned the piles regularly with a garden fork. If properly maintained, the compost would actually become hot to the touch and would belch plumes of steam when stirred on cold mornings. He loved the earthy smell that rose from the mounds, the whiff of rot and fiber, the way the soil broke and fluffed a little more each day. Here was nature at work, made more efficient by man’s guiding hand.

He began to judge everything for its recyclability. All matter was either carbon or nitrogen. Soon he was collecting bags of lawn debris from neighborhood curbs and canvassing farms for straw bales and manure. He sorted leaves by species, made flowcharts of dung potency. Bins and mounds multiplied as he tinkered with ratios and tested fertility. He tilled up every square inch of backyard and planted vegetables and herbs, lined the front walk and driveway with big terra-cotta pots, each plot a test patch for some specially formulated recipe.

When he submitted a sample to a USDA-sanctioned exhibition, earning the highest marks in soil friability, nutrient retention, and water solubility, the local newspaper caught wind of it and dubbed him Compost Man. This gave his colleagues a good laugh. Even his wife joked to their friends about his growing “mudballs” out back and said she’d prefer him sneaking off with her lingerie catalogs than ogling the seed brochures the way he did.

One morning he walked out back to turn the piles and found that someone had laid a cruel turd atop one of his prize mounds. It was definitely human. The stench was complex and he found a fast-food napkin with brown streaks nearby. He couldn’t believe the audacity. They’d just hopped up on the bin, draped themselves over the corner, and let one rip.

He paced the back porch and spent hours at the window, profiling every neighbor who walked by with a pet. Every jogger, every biker, every long-haired mischievous teen. What was this compulsion to foul something so pure and constructive? Who was deranged enough to do such a thing? He walked out back with his hammer and studded the rims of each bin with nails. Next time someone came snooping pants-down in the dark, they’d pay with blood.

His colleagues thought it was a hilarious prank. Even his wife suggested gently that he was taking it too hard. “We eat out of that soil, for God’s sake!” he replied. “You want to end up in the hospital with a bacterial infection? Can you see our little son, dead from E. coli poisoning?”

She was skeptical of this, but he scoured the internet to prove the causes and insufficient cures of various bacteria and infections, moving on from there to viruses, superbugs, pandemics, extinction events. The deeper he dug, the more perils he uncovered.

Likewise the prank grew epic in his imagination. It was a pointed statement—“I shit on your life”—made by a lone creep and endorsed by a society that deemed him irrelevant. Somehow the smallest things can break a man, and the hairline fracture deep within the young scientist spread over the next several months. It did not depress him or slow his obsession but rather excited his research, leading to more compost mounds and more outlandish experiments. He upset the whole neighborhood when he planted a late-­season crop of corn right there in the front yard. His wife was horrified by bean and cucumber vines planted in the rain gutters, cascading down like gaudy Christmas decorations. “You’re turning our beautiful home into a feedlot,” she accused him.

He read incessantly and became an expert on diverse farming techniques from ancient to modern civilizations. His interpretation of historical patterns convinced him that poor soil management had led to the downfall of societies throughout time. He relayed all of these findings to his farmer clients and expounded on the hazards of modern farming. They were hidebound men who planted cotton, soybeans, and corn as their families had for generations, trying to eke out modest livings against increasingly volatile world markets. Times were tough enough. They had no use for antiquarian farming theories promoted by some arrogant, pencil-pushing upshot. Nor did they appreciate his accusations that they were squandering the soil by leaching it with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, casting a blight upon the land and rivers and seas with their shortsighted and unsustainable methods, virtually ensuring that their grandchildren, along with everyone else’s, would wander the famished countryside like starving refugees in a desert of poisoned dust. All they wanted from him was help filling out subsidy applications and disaster relief forms.

The soil scientist grew bitter and withdrawn. He felt rather like a young suburban Moses, entrusted with critical information from on high that the general rabble was too distracted to glean. The agency confirmed this by requesting his resignation.

Their idyllic life threatened, his wife went back to school to get her teaching degree while he stayed home with the boy. But he did not mope and feel sorry for himself. Just before his forced retirement, the young farmer had attended a regional ag conference where he heard a lecture on advances in hydro- and aeroponic technology delivered by a famous environmental scientist who made the stunning admission “Plants don’t actually need soil to grow. Just a fissure for their roots to spread and soak up moisture and nourishment.”

It was an offhanded remark, on the way to a larger point, but to the soil scientist it felt like an atom bomb. The statement was so simple and staggering, so obvious. Soil-free farming. Why had he never seen it? Look at the bonsais and cacti in their rock gardens, the weeds growing up from cracks in the sidewalk.

His imagination vaulted years ahead to farms that operated indoors, fields stacked one atop the next in glass high-rises, each floor its own crop grown in recycled water and mineral baths. He saw farmers in white lab coats appraising the beautiful plants, no bugs or blemishes, no sweat or sunburn, not a speck of dirt in sight. The future will be spotless! Hoes and plows became droppers and beakers. Computers monitored optimal growing conditions. All of the equipment was powered by the sun and the wind, a perfect organic machine. The greatest pitfalls of agriculture—pestilence and disease, the unpredictability of weather, poisonous pollutants and industrial runoff—could be solved by making the whole process simpler, cleaner, and more efficient. He could build it and lead the innovation. He could make the world healthier and more peaceful. There was no time to waste. To proceed authentically, he would have to start from the ground up.

He searched for a piece of land, spent two months sorting through overpriced and unsuitable plots until he found a house with seventeen acres twenty miles south of town. It had been a rental property for years, but the owners had come on hard times and were looking to unload it quickly. The house was a charmless pile of bricks compared to their town cottage, and the backyard was full of castaway equipment and scrap. The fields were grown over, all scrub and marsh and raw potential. Beyond the house was pastureland and forest, even a river, the wild and portentous Tockawah River, which ran along the southwestern edge of the property and would serve as a constant source of irrigation. It was the perfect site for his experiment. All of it could be his for a song.

He composed his pitch and approached his wife. She listened to him describe the experiments and the laboratory and the farm tower he would erect, how he intended to produce enough fresh food to supply the local population—“Not a farm so much as a growing system, indifferent to the whims of markets and nature.” The way he described it and the completeness of his vision revealed a surprising logic born from his craze, and she became seduced a little.

She wondered about the home they’d made, the comforts they’d earned. Couldn’t they live in town and start a farming business on the side?

The start-up capital to make this dream a reality required both the proceeds from the Nutt Street house and the inheritance she’d recently received from her stepmother, an unexpected gift which might have been wisely spent paying off student loans or starting a college fund for the boy.

“What better way to prepare a boy than to raise him in the country?” he asked. Teach a boy to hunt, fish, and farm, and you’ve paved the way for an honest, salt-of-the-earth man to live free come hell or high water.

She got a far-off look in her eye. Could she see it all before her, just as he had? Or was she scared to say no, knowing that if she kept her husband and his ambition shackled here she risked losing the very things she loved?

She had faith in him and his passion. He was asking her to double down on their young fortune. They took the leap together and spent some of the best days of their marriage in this shared endeavor.

A year later they were ruined.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherSimon & Schuster
  • Publication date2015
  • ISBN 10 1476750815
  • ISBN 13 9781476750811
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages368
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781476750873: Soil: A Novel

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1476750874 ISBN 13:  9781476750873
Publisher: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, 2016
Softcover

  • 9781444782950: Soil

    Two Roads, 2015
    Softcover

  • 9781473607033: Soil

    Two Roads, 2015
    Hardcover

  • 9781444782936: Soil

    Two Roads
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Seller Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by U.S.A.: Simon & Schuster (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity: 1
Seller:
R & B Diversions LLC
(Stratford, WI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. NEW author signed first print hardcover in mylar protected dustjacket. first US edition. new and unused; no marks, not remaindered, not xlib, not bookclub, dj price intact, first edition stated with number line down to 1. simple author signature on title page, no inscription. fiction hardcover Language: eng. Signed by Author. Seller Inventory # 8640

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 14.40
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity: 16
Seller:
VJ Books
(Tualatin, OR, U.S.A.)

Book Description hardcover. Condition: New. Author Signed Hardcover Book March 2015 NY: Simon & Schuster First edition, first printing, fine in a fine dust jacket, signed by the author. This is a collectible book free from material defects. Jacket covering services are available for a small fee. signed by author(s). Seller Inventory # KORSOIL01

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 23.99
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster, New York (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity: 1
Seller:
Dan Pope Books
(West Hartford, CT, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. New York: Simon Schuster (2015). First edition. First printing. Hardbound. New/New. A pristine unread copy (without marks or bruises or smells or any other defect). Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket cover (not clipped, of course). Shipped in well-padded box. Purchased new and opened only for author to sign, no inscriptions, just the author's name directly on the title page. SIGNED BY AUTHOR on title page. You cannot find a better copy. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 06-2015-16

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 30.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GF Books, Inc.
(Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. 1.23. Seller Inventory # 1476750815-2-1

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 63.03
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover Quantity: 2
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # VIB1476750815

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 63.07
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity: 1
Seller:
OldBooksFromTheBasement
(Maryland Heights, MO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. Simon & Schuster, U.S.A., 2015. Hardcover. Book Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Stated "First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition March 2015", first printing with a full number line starting at "1". 9-1/2" tall, 355 numbered pages followed by unnumbered pages of "Acknowledgements" & "About the Author"; plain reddish-brown boards with lightly textured black quarter binding, silver lettering on spine; plain ivory end pages; fore edge is not trimmed. Book is square, very clean, hinges tight, corners not bumped, ding on lower fore edge of front board; heel of spine lightly creased. The interior is also pristine: it is perfectly clean and free of writing, stray marks, stains or discolorations of any sort or paper damage of any type; paper is moderately toned, very flexible and not at all brittle. Jacket is clean; no tears, folds or fading; very slight crease at heel of spine and a tiny bump at head of front gutter ridge; publisher's original price of "U.S. $26.00 / Can.$32.00" listed on the upper right corner of front flap. Condition of book and jacket consistent with being brand new and not read. No other discernible or objectionable faults on book or jacket such as marks or writing within, stains, tears, chips, or other damage that would diminish its appearance. No remainder mark, no previous owner markings or inscriptions, not price clipped, not a book club edition, not a former library book. Signed in thin black felt pen by author at the bottom of title page beneath his printed name. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # BMR-2021-2-12-5

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 60.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 6.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Kornegay, Jamie
Published by Simon & Schuster, U.S.A. (2015)
ISBN 10: 1476750815 ISBN 13: 9781476750811
New Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity: 1
Seller:
SkylarkerBooks
(CARSON CITY, NV, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1ST. An Outstanding Copy - Signed By The Author On The Title Page. Signature Only. A First Edition, First Printing. Book Is In Fine Condition. Boards Are Clean, Not Bumped. Fore Edges Are Clean. Interior Is Clean And Legible. Not Remaindered. Dust Jacket Is In Fine Condition. Not Chipped Or Crinkled. Not Price Clipped. Dust Jacket Is Covered By Mylar Brodart. Thanks And Enjoy. Signed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 016805

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 65.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds