Part one and two were a little difficult for me to get into, but parts three and four were exciting!
Perhaps I should post a sort of summary before I review here.
Clay is about a Catholic altar boy (Davie) and a strange boy (Stephen) that moves to town to live with his “crazy” aunt after family problems elsewhere. Stephen is distant and seemingly obsessed with art—He loves crafting things, specifically with clay. However, insanity vs reality begins to take hold for Davie as Stephen enlists his help with a secret project, one that shouldn’t be possible. Davie is slightly nonchalant about it, slightly hesitant, and slightly intrigued all at once. Until is it too late.
This story may be compared to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
Weed or Keep?
Keep!! Not a strong, give-me-nightmares horror, but still a horror nonetheless.
On Writing:
I feel like these reviews are devolving into just rants about writing instead of whether I should keep them in the library or not. Anywho~
This one started out a bit choppy. The sentences were too short and/or repetitive.
Example 1 Part 1, Chapter 7, page 27
“Saturday evening, the same week. I went to St. Patrick’s. I knelt in the dark confessional. I could see Father O’Mahoney’s face through the grille. I wondered if I should try to disguise my voice, but I knew, like always, it would be no good. “
Example 2, Part 2, Chapter 2, page 60
“The moon was huge, right at the middle of my window. I was round as a communion host. I lay there in its light. I stared into its face. I made out its craters, its waterless seas. I heard a voice.”
Example 3, Part 2, Chapter 10, page 100
“We met on neutral ground, at dusk. We used the Graveyard at Heworth. We stood in the oldest part, where the weathered graves were. There were thin tall trees around us. There were clusters of black nests in the branches. Our grave was a table-high and blackened thing. Skinner and Poke were on one side, Geordie and I on the other. The sky had lost its brightness, blue had turned to gray.”
Example 3, Part 3, Chapter 1, page 137
“Saturday night. Lie on my bed, wait in the dark. No moon. The TV rumbles in the room below. I hear Dad’s barks of laughter.”
Notice the pattern in the sentences. Many of them are very similar or exactly the same length. Many of them also have the same start as the sentence before it. This is an effective style for high energy scenes and suspense, however, many of these scenes do not contain suspense nor high energy, nor do they follow something concerning that would warrant shorter, quicker thoughts. This made it difficult to read out loud (I partially read this to my cat to entertain her) as well as silently.
I want to say here that the writing should warrant the writing. XD Meaning, the action, energy, and atmosphere of a sentence should connect to the sentence style as a whole.
On that note, this book was told in both past and present tense, first person. That, I found really cool. The past tense was in parts 1 and 2 and the present tense started with part 3 through 4. This worked because the first half of the book was set up where we got to know our characters and setting. Then, at the end of part 2, we learn something extremely discomforting and the true tension began.
In this way, we can see how present tense and shorter sentences affect the reader and the scene. Present tense slows text down and is really useful in first person because it lets the reader experience everything that happens to the protagonist in real time. Shorter sentences also slow a text down, but speed a scene up. It makes the reader pause more often, as if they are out of breath, and can be used to quickly get things done.
This also explains why it was difficult for me in the first half. I believe the shorter sentences were used incorrectly there. Example 3 in particular drove me wild.
In that example, I should also mention that beyond the suggestion to avoid starting sentences the same way in a row, we should try to avoid starting sentences with “there were” or “there was” at all. More immersive text will use something more active to describe the scene. “Thin, tall trees loomed around us.” “Clusters of black nests occupied every cold branch.”
Lastly, I didn’t care for a lot of the dialogue in this. Too short and choppy in too many instances. But! the negative points do not encompass every paragraph on every page. It was just enough to get under my skin and rant about. There were some instances of really nice dialogue. Though some characters did start monologuing near the end. XD
Story:
Oho~ You thought I was done? The writing itself wasn’t the only thing this book offered, and I wanted to talk about the story!
This one starts out with relatively unlikeable protagonists. I wasn’t sure I would like the book if I was expected to root for them against something evil. However, while they don’t necessarily become likeable, the situation becomes more and more interesting. The pacing of this book was strong. the danger takes its time to reveal itself, and when it does, it is unnerving.
I really enjoyed the unraveling of Stephen’s character and the mystery left at the end.
There is also a wavering and exploration of faith present. Davie begins to doubt his faith and seeks answers from several people. It doesn’t end with much of a decision whether he believes or not, but it does pose some good points and counterpoints to belief and nonbelief. Specifically touching the , how can you believe in the devil if you don’t believe in God?
I guess to say more would bring about spoilers, so I’ll end it here!
If the weather is nice, take a walk outside and smile at the sky for a moment! Let the sky smile back at you, precious thing. Have a good!
N. K. Valek: Author 