The Bookcase

We all know we can be our own worst enemies, but in terms of the characters in Soil, that's a severe understatement. Whether it's pride, paranoia or an unquenchable desire for revenge, everyone seems hell-bent on destruction. But despite the characters' inherent unlikeability, debut author Jamie Kornegay has managed the tricky task of making them sympathetic too, so that the reader cares about them and their journey.

The main protagonist, Jay Mize, is an annoyingly idealistic young farmer doomed to failure, hounded by an egotistical and reckless deputy sheriff and a crippled elderly woodsman with a vendetta. These three very different men are the driving force behind this novel, which is part Greek tragedy and part darkly comic Deep South romp. That's not to say that women don't play an important role, with Jay's frustrated ex-wife Sandy providing the sole voice of reason amidst the chaos of the menfolk.

The language which Kornegay uses to describe the mud plains of the Mississippi is wonderfully evocative, so much so that the landscape itself almost becomes a fifth character within the novel, providing a perfect grim backdrop for the brutal actions of those who inhabit it.

Soil is invariably a rich metaphor and it's one which is deftly exploited to maximum effect, with the author using it to explore philosophical ideas about life, death, the futility of man and the constantly cyclical process of Mother Nature.

Kornegay's keenly observed novel is a bit of a slow burner at first, but it soon builds into a page-turning crescendo and a suspense-filled finale which will make your heart pound and leave you opened-mouthed in horror. This is definitely not one for the faint-hearted or squeamish, but it's incredibly enjoyable nonetheless.

9/10

(Review by Alison Potter)

FICTION

Morning Sea by Margaret Mazzantini is published in hardback by Oneworld Publications, priced £10.99 (ebook £9.32). Available now

The Mediterranean, 2010. As rebels battle loyalists, Farid and his mother flee the wreckage of Tripoli for the coast, pinning their hopes on a trafficker's rusting boat and the perilous crossing to Italy. Across the water, in Sicily, 18-year-old Vito has been raised on stories of a Libya he has never known, his mother one of the Italians exiled when Gaddafi came to power. He ponders where he belongs and what to make of his life as he picks through the flotsam of past shipwrecks that wash up upon the shore. These lives kept apart by the sea at their centre are narrated in sparse and sensuous prose in Mazzantini's important, timely novel. Against a portrait of two mothers' love for their sons, it tells the story of humanity's constant flux and the forces that drive migrations. Home is never fixed, but a fluid and precarious concept that could at any time be upturned.

9/10

(Review by Adam Weymouth)

Before The Fire by Sarah Butler is published in hardback by Picador, priced £12.99 (ebook £5.39). Available now

It's Manchester in the summer of 2011 and best friends Mac and Stick have a great adventure planned - a road trip to Spain, where they plan to drink, dance, turn 18 and, most importantly, escape Manchester. But the trip gets cancelled when Stick receives the devastating news that Mac has been fatally stabbed. From this early point in the book, we hear the story of a grief-stricken Stick who struggles with his feelings of anger, disbelief and hopelessness. One ray of light comes in the form a J, an adventurous and self-assured fellow teen who Stick quickly falls for. The riots, which feature at the end of the book, are almost irrelevant to the story. This is more a tale about grief, and though the main character might not be likeable at times, it is a well-researched and interesting snapshot story.

7/10

(Review by Sophie Herdman)

The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer is published in hardback by Bantam Press, priced £14.99 (ebook £6.02). Available now

The Shut Eye weaves together so many strands of a compelling murder mystery that it is sometimes easy to get too tangled up in its disparate plots and sub-plots. Jumping from one line to the next leaves the reader fighting for oxygen as much as some of the characters, coming up for air after each chapter as the different angles threaten to overwhelm. The disappearance of Daniel Buck and the whereabouts of Edie Evans play on the minds of the police as well as those of the parents left behind. A shut eye is that between-worlds figure who can see what has happened to the lost and tries desperately to tell their story to those left behind. Daniel's mother, Anna Buck, battles with the things she sees which a disbelieving world dismisses as the ramblings of a crazy woman. Not even Bauer's skill as a writer, bringing together different cultures and joining them with colourful storytelling can save what ultimately proves to be a flawed process. Sadly for all those involved, Bauer leaves one major question unanswered and that fatally flaws an otherwise exciting read.

6/10

(Review by Roddy Brooks)

The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford is published in trade paperback by Faber & Faber, priced £12.99 (ebook £2.79). Available now

With a central character in the middle of a bipolar breakdown, The Pocket Wife follows in the footsteps of bestsellers like Elizabeth Is Missing and Before I Go To Sleep, both of which feature mentally disturbed protagonists. Sadly though, it lacks their page-turning power. Dana Catrell, the book's rather attractively unstable heroine, is starting to unravel when her neighbour Celia is murdered. Unfortunately, Dana can't remember much about their last meeting apart from a drunken row, and starts to believe she might be the killer. A shifty husband, a rugged cop and a sexy assistant prosecutor are added to the mix, but they can't disguise the fact that, for long stretches of this book, nothing much happens. It's a lack of pace that's fatal in a thriller - a shame, because Dana's teetering on the brink of brilliance and insanity is a convincing portrayal of madness.

5/10

(Review by Jackie Kingsley)

NON-FICTION

Once Upon A Time In The West Country by Tony Hawks is published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now

Comedian Tony Hawks and his partner Fran realised many an urban dweller's dream when they left London for a country cottage in Devon. But how would Hawks - best known for his appearances on panel shows like Have I Got News For You and Just A Minute - cope with rural life where the biggest excitements are tractor runs (what it sounds like, pottering around on tractors) and bingo evenings? Rather well, according to this diverting book, which covers Hawks' bucolic adventures, including a cycle around the Devon coast with a micro pig (well, this is the man who went Round Ireland With A Fridge). While it doesn't contain any great insights into city vs country life, or many belly laughs for that matter, this gently humorous account raises a wry smile or two and might even make city folk consider getting out of the rat race, if only for a mini-break.

7/10

(Review by Jackie Kingsley)

Honourable Friends? Parliament And The Fight For Change by Caroline Lucas MP is published in trade paperback by Portobello Books, priced £14.99 (ebook £4.20). Available now

Did you know that on general election night, the candidates are told who's won before they stand together as the returning officer reads out the numbers? That's the first (and least troubling) of many surprises about our political system in Caroline Lucas' book. As the UK's only Green MP, she writes as an outsider on the inside, shocked at how Parliament's arcane rules and clubby attitude restrict opportunities for change. Lucas claims the book is no manifesto - although it hits all the major topics one would - and it's at its best when weaving her level-headed policy ideas with real experiences (attending an arms trade exhibition and being arrested at an anti-fracking protest are highlights in this regard). She is not above comparing George Osborne and the Treasury to "practised assassins", but it's such frank individuality that makes this book the most engaging piece of electioneering for 7 May 2015 yet.

8/10

(Review by Stephen Wood)

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Accidental Prime Minister by Tom McLaughlin is published in paperback by Oxford, priced £6.99 (ebook £6.99). Available April 2

Some readers will know Tom McLaughlin for his picture books like The Diabolical Mr Tiddles and Captain Buckleboots, and now he has written his first children's novel. Grown-ups have had their turn at running the country and Joe thinks that more than anyone! The schoolboy manages to get the current Prime Minister sacked, and he gets the job. He and his best friend Ajay have a great time making the country happy. But trouble starts brewing when his evil assistant starts saying that having fun is wrong! Will Joe be able to stop her and her Anti-Silliness League turning the country against him? I enjoyed this book and it made me laugh out loud quite a lot! But it was a bit unrealistic in parts. Like, how can an aeroplane fit a library in it? The author went a bit off track at times. But I still thought it was very funny and had a good storyline. Maybe the author could have kept his head in reality because books have to be a good read but still believable.

7/10

(Review by Noah Sanders, aged 9)

BESTSELLERS FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 20

HARDBACKS

1. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

2. The Dream Shall Never Die: 100 Days That Changed Scotland Forever, Alex Salmond

3. The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro

4. Deliciously Ella: Awesome Ingredients, Incredible Food That You and You, Ella Woodward

5. Reasons to Stay Alive, Matt Haig

6. So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Jon Ronson

7. Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites, Mary Berry Not Quite Nice, Celia Imrie

8. Girl Online, Zoe Sugg

9. Landmarks, Robert Macfarlane

10. Mightier Than the Sword: The Clifton Chronicles, Jeffrey Archer

(Compiled by Waterstones)

PAPERBACKS

1. The Establishment: And How They Get Away with it, Owen Jones

2. The Dinosaur That Pooped A Lot!, Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter

3. Best Mates, Michael Morpurgo

4. World Menace Day, Steven Butler

5. We Are Not Ourselves, Matthew Thomas

6. Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest and Colouring Book, Johanna Basford

7. Dork Diaries: How to be a Dork WBD, Rachel Renee Russell

8. Elmer's Parade, David McKee

9. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book, Johanna Basford

10. Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen:World Book Day Edition 2015:2015, Chris Riddell

(Compiled by Waterstones)

1. Silent Scream, Angela Marsons

2. Fat Chance, Nick Spalding

3. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

4. Personal (Jack Reacher 19), Lee Child

5. The Amber Keeper, Freda Lightfoot

6. Elizabeth is Missing, Emma Healey

7. Fire and Steam, Christian Wolmar

8. The Black Echo (Harry Bosch book 1), Michael Connelly

9. My Sister's Grave, Robert Dugoni

10. Stranger Child, Rachel Abbott

(Compiled by amazon.co.uk)