"Clay" by David Almond (Delacorte Press,
ISBN 9780440420132, $8.99)
David Almond's latest novel, "Clay," delves into the potentially evil nature
of a troubled adolescent mind. Frustrated by the powerlessness of their age,
two young men exquisitely mold clay into a human form, and then will it to
life. When Stephen, recently expelled from a seminary in Northern England,
arrives in Felling, he coerces a young doubter, Davie, into helping him give
life to his creation. Shortly thereafter, Davie's arch nemesis falls off a
cliff and dies.
Do their will and imagination manifest in pure creation? Do miracles happen?
Do they achieve a balance between good and evil? Can goodness prevail, given
the dual nature of human passions?
Almond molds these questions into a provocative novel for teens and adults.
Adult readers may resist the minutiae of teen life in the story's beginning,
but reading to the end is worth the investment.
Framing his inventive story within the confines of a Roman Catholic School,
David Almond has created an eerie novel filled with images and ideas to
ponder.
Review by
Sarah
Bagby, March
28, 2008
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