“Clay” by David Almond (Delacorte Books for
Young Readers, 9780440420132, $8.99, 272 pages, ages 12 and up)
David Almond’s novel “Clay,” new in paperback, is a ghost story given flesh.
Set in a small town in Almond’s native north England, the book follows two
young buddies, Davie and Geordie, as they deal with the problem of bullying
in a singularly creepy and supernatural fashion. At heart, it’s a story
about the lure of violence and the danger that can come from fighting fire
with fire.
Davie and Geordie are good but trouble-seeking altar boys always on the
lookout for Mouldy, a great hulk of a guy from the next town over, who has
roughed them up in the past and who is, they’re convinced, out to get them
again. Their chance to pay Mouldy back comes in the form of Stephen, a new
boy to town who’s followed by dark rumors of family madness and dabblings in
black magic. Stephen is a sculptor who claims to be able to bring his clay
creations to life, and he promises Davie that he can make a creature that
will take care of Mouldy once and for all.
Fascinated by this offer and drifting away from Geordie, Davie is caught up
in playing God and Dr. Frankenstein with Stephen. They construct and animate
a clay man that begins to haunt Davie’s dreams, seeking instructions and
commands from its “master.” When Mouldy takes a lethal fall from a seaside
cliff, Davie worries that Clay is to blame, and he begins to realize that
his promised instrument of “defense” has become a deadly weapon responding
to his own angry thoughts.
The clay golem the boys create can be read as a uniquely clever stand-in for
the more mundane weapons available to today’s teenagers: Guns, knives,
rumors, and vicious talk are used by some to strike out when they feel
threatened or ostracized. Like those everyday instruments, the clay man
makes Davie’s anger physical, and like those other weapons, it shows itself
to be more damaging than anticipated, both to others and to its wielder.
“Clay” has thick, lovely storytelling, and it’s rich with thoughts on faith,
anger, and the consequences of violence. Almond depicts young people smoking
and committing religion-inflected crimes here, as when the boys steal items
from a church to animate their creation, but these actions are balanced by
the serious attention he gives to the negative and sobering outcome. The
result is a spine-chilling story that will captivate young-adult readers
while spurring them to make connections with the world they know.
The paperback of “Clay” will be released on Tuesday, March 11. Watermark
will host a visit by author David Almond on Thursday, March 13.
Review by
Mark David
Bradshaw, March 5, 2008
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