Clay is a story about two friends and how they react to a new boy in town. Almond follows a boy named Davie in first person. Davie is an average boy who lives in a small mining village in the north called Felling. Davie commits petty sins; he smokes, he drinks, he swears but nothing like the sins he will commit when he meets Stephen Rose.

Stephen comes from a strange background of loners, magicians and mad men. He has been thrown out of a priest school after he apparently took part in devil worshipping. He is an awesome storm of a character whipped up in Almond's imagination. The reader is invited to throw in their own thoughts as this storm rips Davie and Geordie apart.

Stephen has powers: he can make clay live. I enjoyed the depth of the book. Everything was explainable;

“That’s why Clay’s best. Wood’s been alive already so it’s dead. And how can you get something that’s dead to be alive again.”

I enjoyed this book: it seemed to grip me like a beast. I was let down at the end when the beast seemed to die but the book dragged on for another twenty-five pages and then Almond just gave up. Overall this book will give you many hours of happiness but beware for the end of the book is a bit of a downer. I would give a depressing 7/10 for such an awesome book.