"Night Soil" by Dale Peck is a novel that delves into themes of identity, family, and the environment. Set in a rural town, the story follows the life of a young boy named Jodie who is grappling with his identity and place in the world. The narrative explores the complexities of family dynamics, personal growth, and the impact of environmental degradation on rural communities. Peck’s writing is known for its lyrical and evocative style, and "Night Soil" is no exception, blending personal introspection with a broader commentary on societal issues. The novel is both a coming-of-age story and a reflection on the interconnectedness of human and environmental health.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

Very compelling premise. Slow to read and monochromatic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep interest to get very far into the book. And I’ve wanted to read Peck’s work for some time.

Slow-going, introverted, and about a character/family/situation that just defy credibility; given that, the narrator is a bit of big pill (hard to take). Still, Peck himself is compelling and if you push through the many asides and tangents (which should have been excised by a more stringent editor) there are some memorable passages and scenes.

Judas Stammers lives a peaceful life with his mother. He does not know anything about his father; only when he dies and leaves him masses of books and money does he actually notice this person. His mother is a potter and to their astonishment, her pots sell for an unbelievable amount of money that they actually do not need since their ancestors were coal magnates and founders of the Academy, a private school that also Judas attends. His mother often leaves him alone and the fact of being an outsider makes Judas ruminate a lot about life, his personality and also the history of the place he lives in.

I admittedly did not really get into the novel. Somehow for me, the narration did not completely make sense. I guess this was due to the fact that Judas narrates the long history of his family with masses of enumerations which made me lose the red threat. I found his personality quite interesting, but whenever I had the impression that the novel gets more fascinating and focuses on his development, the plot turned to something different. The end of the novel what highly noteworthy, the philosophical treatise about the parable - but how does this connect to the rest? To finish with something positive: I found many parts hilarious, I liked Judas style of narration, the way he puts his words, the comparisons, but this unfortunately could not counterbalance the weaknesses of the plot that I perceived.