Synopsis: Davie and Geordie are inseparable even under the threat of the monstrous Mouldy and his gang. Then Stephen Rose comes to live with Crazy Mary and rumours about his past and present spread. Strange and brilliant, Davie is drawn to the boy who makes beautiful clay models. They have something in common, the power to give life and desire to control monsters. But is Davie powerful enough to make his own decisions?

Review: David Almond writes stories that are such gifts.

Clay has the strange, ethereal quality of some of his other work and is remarkable in how it deftly handles complex intertextuality and profound philosophical questions. It is a novel which is simple to read with a tension that keeps the reader engaged as it builds to an unnerving climax. Yet in reading it one is prompted to ask questions as to what life is, what responsibilities we have to other living things, what role religion plays in our lives and many more.

The most obvious reference is to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Stephen Rose echoes not only Victor but the Romantics themselves in his curious creativity. Art is in his hands becomes dangerous and potentially revolutionary. However, Shelley’s own influence: Paradise Lost is also at work here and Stephen is perhaps closer to Lucifer, the brightest star in heaven, who seeks to usurp God.

This intertextuality is part of the novel’s richness and Almond is fully in control, asking questions that are still pertinent and moreover, as equally relevant to children and young people as they are to adults. There are decisions made about friendships, relationships, morals and religion. Davie is Adam and Eve in the Garden tempted by the knowledge and power Stephen offers him and the possibility of having the monster Mouldy removed. When Clay is created Davie sees something in him that Stephen does not and feels an affinity and empathy with it.

 There are no answers in Almond’s novel only more questions, references and reactions for readers to find. No doubt this review is a single interpretation with similarities and differences to other readers’ and indeed the writer’s. Whilst this is a beautiful read it is also an ideal way in to the joys of exploring literature, unpacking and responding to its many layers.