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Clay
An intimate and captivating portrait of four people struggling with the concrete confines of city life by first-time novelist Melissa Harrison.
Eight-year-old TC skips school to explore the city’s overgrown, forgotten corners. Sophia, seventy-eight, watches with concern as he slips past her window, through the little park she loves. She’s writing to her granddaughter, Daisy, whose privileged upbringing means she exists in a different world from TC – though the two children live less than a mile apart.
Jozef spends his days doing house clearances, his nights working in a takeaway. He can’t forget the farm he left behind in Poland, its woods and fields still a part of him, although he is a thousand miles away. When he meets TC he finds a kindred spirit: both lonely, both looking for something, both lost.
Eight-year-old TC skips school to explore the city’s overgrown, forgotten corners. Sophia, seventy-eight, watches with concern as he slips past her window, through the little park she loves. She’s writing to her granddaughter, Daisy, whose privileged upbringing means she exists in a different world from TC – though the two children live less than a mile apart.
Jozef spends his days doing house clearances, his nights working in a takeaway. He can’t forget the farm he left behind in Poland, its woods and fields still a part of him, although he is a thousand miles away. When he meets TC he finds a kindred spirit: both lonely, both looking for something, both lost.
263 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2013
14 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Harrison
14 books243 followersMelissa Harrison is the author of the novels Clay and At Hawthorn Time, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize, and one work of non-fiction, Rain, which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize. She is a nature writer, critic and columnist for The Times, the Financial Times and the Guardian, among others. Her new novel All Among the Barley is due for publication in August, 2018..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
November 28, 2019
Melissa Harrison's debut novel is a brilliant hybrid of fiction and nature writing centred on semi-wild spaces in a London suburb. The events of the book cover a year, broken into seasonal chapters that mix descriptions of the natural world with a cast of characters whose relationship with nature is at the heart of the story.
Its structure could be seen as a precursor to Reservoir 13, but concentrated into a smaller area and smaller time-span, without the mystery, and suburban, with a more definite conclusion.
The human characters are TC, a boy whose single mother largely ignores him and who is ostracised at school for being different, who seeks escape by skipping school to explore and watch the plants and animals around him. Jozef is a migrant worker who lost his small family farm in Poland to the cost of meeting EU regulations, who befriends a fighting dog owned by his employer, a shady operator specialising in house clearances. Then there is Sophia, a widow who takes a keen interest in nature, who forms a bond with her impressionable granddaughter Daisy that complicates her more distant relationship with her daughter Linda (Daisy's mother).
The human stories weave in and out of the nature writing, and the conclusion is dramatic, if a little inevitable.
Its structure could be seen as a precursor to Reservoir 13, but concentrated into a smaller area and smaller time-span, without the mystery, and suburban, with a more definite conclusion.
The human characters are TC, a boy whose single mother largely ignores him and who is ostracised at school for being different, who seeks escape by skipping school to explore and watch the plants and animals around him. Jozef is a migrant worker who lost his small family farm in Poland to the cost of meeting EU regulations, who befriends a fighting dog owned by his employer, a shady operator specialising in house clearances. Then there is Sophia, a widow who takes a keen interest in nature, who forms a bond with her impressionable granddaughter Daisy that complicates her more distant relationship with her daughter Linda (Daisy's mother).
The human stories weave in and out of the nature writing, and the conclusion is dramatic, if a little inevitable.
May 14, 2015
Melissa Harrison’s first novel weaves together a human story of four people whose lives are changed when their paths cross with the story of the seasons changing in a city centre park that those four people all love.
TC is 10 years-old, his dad has recently left, he has no real friends, and mother often forgets to give him lunch money or to have food in the house for other meals. And so he spends his time in the park, using the book about nature that his father had left behind – wrapped ready for his birthday – to track the animals that live there.
Sophia is a 78-year-old widow, living in a small flat on a rundown estate. Her daughter would like her to move but she doesn’t want to leave the park where she and her husband spent many happy hours, because they shared a love of nature. She sees TC from her window, and she likes to see his love for the park, but she is concerned that he is always alone and sad.
Daisy, Sophia’s granddaughter, lived in a much nicer area and she went to a private school. She loved to visit her grandmother, who was much more easy going that her mother, and she has come to share her grandmother’s love for seeds and insects and all the small things in nature that so many others failed to notice.
Jozef, is a middle-aged Polish immigrant who works in house clearances by day and in a takeaway by night; observing the small park as he mourns the farm he lost because he couldn’t deal with new EU regulations. He realises that TC is alone outside for far too long and he sees signs that he is hungry, so he tactfully offers him food and tries to he his friend.
Time passes, seasons change and relationships shift as Melissa Harrison tells her story in lovely, lyrical prose.
The story is subtle and the writing is understated.
The juxtaposition of life in the park and life on the estate is striking, and the balance between the story of the human lives and the story of all that life in the park is very well judged.
She catches the teeming life in the park quite beautifully
“… hornbeams, service trees, acacias and Turkey oaks with bristly acorn cups like little sea anemones. It was alive with squirrels, jays and wood mice, while in spring thrushes let off football rattles from the treetops, and every few summers stag beetles emerged to rear and fence and mate …“
She catches the human lives just as well. She is gentle with her characters; she understands them, and their relationships with each other, and their love of the park. The relationships between the generations are particularly well drawn. Sophia and her daughter try to understand each other, but their differences mean that they never quite meet. The friendship between Jozef and TC grows beautifully.
But there were gaps. I didn’t understand why Linda’s daughter suddenly decided that gardening would be her consuming passion. I didn’t understand what made TC’s mother so very neglectful. Questions like that bothered me.
And I saw rather too much of the workings of the plot. There were many moments when spotted something that I knew would be significant and I knew why it would be significant. I was right.
And yet when the consequences of all those things played out I found that I was involved with these people and their lives, and I was moved by what happened.
Melissa Harrison has grown a little more as a nature writer than she has as a storyteller, and I think that with a just little more growing she might just write something very, very special.
TC is 10 years-old, his dad has recently left, he has no real friends, and mother often forgets to give him lunch money or to have food in the house for other meals. And so he spends his time in the park, using the book about nature that his father had left behind – wrapped ready for his birthday – to track the animals that live there.
Sophia is a 78-year-old widow, living in a small flat on a rundown estate. Her daughter would like her to move but she doesn’t want to leave the park where she and her husband spent many happy hours, because they shared a love of nature. She sees TC from her window, and she likes to see his love for the park, but she is concerned that he is always alone and sad.
Daisy, Sophia’s granddaughter, lived in a much nicer area and she went to a private school. She loved to visit her grandmother, who was much more easy going that her mother, and she has come to share her grandmother’s love for seeds and insects and all the small things in nature that so many others failed to notice.
Jozef, is a middle-aged Polish immigrant who works in house clearances by day and in a takeaway by night; observing the small park as he mourns the farm he lost because he couldn’t deal with new EU regulations. He realises that TC is alone outside for far too long and he sees signs that he is hungry, so he tactfully offers him food and tries to he his friend.
Time passes, seasons change and relationships shift as Melissa Harrison tells her story in lovely, lyrical prose.
The story is subtle and the writing is understated.
The juxtaposition of life in the park and life on the estate is striking, and the balance between the story of the human lives and the story of all that life in the park is very well judged.
She catches the teeming life in the park quite beautifully
“… hornbeams, service trees, acacias and Turkey oaks with bristly acorn cups like little sea anemones. It was alive with squirrels, jays and wood mice, while in spring thrushes let off football rattles from the treetops, and every few summers stag beetles emerged to rear and fence and mate …“
She catches the human lives just as well. She is gentle with her characters; she understands them, and their relationships with each other, and their love of the park. The relationships between the generations are particularly well drawn. Sophia and her daughter try to understand each other, but their differences mean that they never quite meet. The friendship between Jozef and TC grows beautifully.
But there were gaps. I didn’t understand why Linda’s daughter suddenly decided that gardening would be her consuming passion. I didn’t understand what made TC’s mother so very neglectful. Questions like that bothered me.
And I saw rather too much of the workings of the plot. There were many moments when spotted something that I knew would be significant and I knew why it would be significant. I was right.
And yet when the consequences of all those things played out I found that I was involved with these people and their lives, and I was moved by what happened.
Melissa Harrison has grown a little more as a nature writer than she has as a storyteller, and I think that with a just little more growing she might just write something very, very special.
September 13, 2019
A melancholy story of loneliness, chance encounters and connections. Life as it is for some. There is upheaval which you might hope would move on to transformation and growth. After the crisis will life remain as it was? How many times do we humans make the same mistakes with disastrous outcomes and then return to our lives and make more of the same mistakes? Harrison’s descriptions of nature almost transcend the haunting ending.
July 23, 2016
It's difficult for me to comment on this book. Based on the description, it should have been a five for me.
Here's what I didn't like: It was tedious at times. Imagine someone walks into a wooded area or garden or some other natural scene and describes every single detail of that scene. And that description lacks whatever it is that draws you in. That's what some of this book felt like.
I understand that the natural places in this book were characters themselves and that love of the natural world bonded our characters, but I feel I missed something here. Could these places serve as metaphors (more than just the shared interest of the characters)? Sure, but I didn't get that. I've read poems that use the natural world powerfully, and you know there's deeper meaning there. I just didn't get that here.
It felt like the pages about the natural elements far outnumbered the pages that moved the story along - characterization, plot, etc. I felt that I had to put the story aside to focus on something else, something far less interesting. It was intrusive. It's as if the story kept losing its momentum. I love being outside. I like flowers. I think hardcore nature lovers and gardeners may love this aspect of the book. But to me they felt like digressions.
Sometimes the we-all-love-nature theme seemed forced. I suppose I want the information shared with me to be essential to the story. Not going a bit deeper into the characters - versus the setting - left some of them with little dimension. There were hints of dimension at times but not enough.
As we jumped from character to character (which I like), I wanted the tension to build. I wanted to feel that horrible feeling when we can predict how these worlds are going to collide and blow up. We're told at the beginning what's going to happen. In this case, the break from pure chronology failed. Some stories start with the end, and you're still enthralled. In this case, you're not. There's no tension in this story. When the crisis reached its climax, it seemed rushed.
This book, while not perhaps highly original, could have been much more powerful.
Here's what I didn't like: It was tedious at times. Imagine someone walks into a wooded area or garden or some other natural scene and describes every single detail of that scene. And that description lacks whatever it is that draws you in. That's what some of this book felt like.
I understand that the natural places in this book were characters themselves and that love of the natural world bonded our characters, but I feel I missed something here. Could these places serve as metaphors (more than just the shared interest of the characters)? Sure, but I didn't get that. I've read poems that use the natural world powerfully, and you know there's deeper meaning there. I just didn't get that here.
It felt like the pages about the natural elements far outnumbered the pages that moved the story along - characterization, plot, etc. I felt that I had to put the story aside to focus on something else, something far less interesting. It was intrusive. It's as if the story kept losing its momentum. I love being outside. I like flowers. I think hardcore nature lovers and gardeners may love this aspect of the book. But to me they felt like digressions.
Sometimes the we-all-love-nature theme seemed forced. I suppose I want the information shared with me to be essential to the story. Not going a bit deeper into the characters - versus the setting - left some of them with little dimension. There were hints of dimension at times but not enough.
As we jumped from character to character (which I like), I wanted the tension to build. I wanted to feel that horrible feeling when we can predict how these worlds are going to collide and blow up. We're told at the beginning what's going to happen. In this case, the break from pure chronology failed. Some stories start with the end, and you're still enthralled. In this case, you're not. There's no tension in this story. When the crisis reached its climax, it seemed rushed.
This book, while not perhaps highly original, could have been much more powerful.
March 24, 2016
The tiny city park is a hub and a focus for many of the local residents. Sophia sees its beauty even through the litter as it is blown around in the wind. A nine year old boy, TC, is discovering the joy that nature can bring as he plays truant from school to explore and discover. Sophia’s granddaughter Daisy who lives round the corner just sees it as a place to play. And there is Jozef, a farmer from Poland, he is now clearing homes and serving at a takeaway, but still has that yearning for the forests and fields of his homeland.
These four people are brought together like those small whirlwinds that lift the leaves up in the air. TC and Jozef hit it off together immediately with their common love of the natural world, and Jozef takes an interest in his life and the pain TC has from his father leaving. Sophia is trying to spark an interest in nature and the wider world with her granddaughter, but her daughter has other ideas as to what her Daisy should and should not be doing. TC and Daisy occasionally climb trees and play together, but their worlds are so different. Events drift slowly on until someone watching draws the wrong conclusion about an event.
Harrison writes lyrically in this book on the urban space, but all the way through it is infused with melancholy. There is not just the sadness of the four characters as they go about their daily lives and deal with their own trials and tribulations, but she has picked up on the ambiance of class and consumerism that permeates modern London these days. Her keen eyes write about the smallest details; the unfurling of leaves, the glisten of a stag beetle shell, the tiny channels left by voles, and these all bring alive the natural world of the park. It is a hauntingly beautiful book; not happy by any means, but effortless to read.
These four people are brought together like those small whirlwinds that lift the leaves up in the air. TC and Jozef hit it off together immediately with their common love of the natural world, and Jozef takes an interest in his life and the pain TC has from his father leaving. Sophia is trying to spark an interest in nature and the wider world with her granddaughter, but her daughter has other ideas as to what her Daisy should and should not be doing. TC and Daisy occasionally climb trees and play together, but their worlds are so different. Events drift slowly on until someone watching draws the wrong conclusion about an event.
Harrison writes lyrically in this book on the urban space, but all the way through it is infused with melancholy. There is not just the sadness of the four characters as they go about their daily lives and deal with their own trials and tribulations, but she has picked up on the ambiance of class and consumerism that permeates modern London these days. Her keen eyes write about the smallest details; the unfurling of leaves, the glisten of a stag beetle shell, the tiny channels left by voles, and these all bring alive the natural world of the park. It is a hauntingly beautiful book; not happy by any means, but effortless to read.
December 8, 2019
I thought this was a beautifully written tale that links a number of inner city Londoners with a love of nature. There is a young boy from a broken family who wants to spend all of his time in the outdoors. The old lady who tends the local commons and tries to pass on her and her dead husbands knowledge and respect for what comes out of the the ground, flies through the air or lives off trees. Her testy relationship with her daughter and granddaughter who live a privileged life. And the middle aged Polish man who pines for his old farm and is seen to be a bad man for forging a friendship with the young boy.
The book highlights the challenges of those who do not have money, family or friends. More importantly it highlights how unappreciative and unknowledgeable most of us are with the nature around us.
The book highlights the challenges of those who do not have money, family or friends. More importantly it highlights how unappreciative and unknowledgeable most of us are with the nature around us.
September 8, 2013
I enjoyed it up until the very end, but I hated the relentlessly brutal ending. Harrison favors "realism" over hope, which I recognize is as valid an outlook as any, so this is an emotional response.
Literature doesn't have to be uplifting, but... [expletive]! The psychology of the characters and their interactions, especially how they could connect but don't, is very well drawn, as is the beauty of the natural world and the way they each seek solace within it. It would have been unrealistic to resolve everything neatly and happily, but to be left with only a feeling of crushed hopes and certain doom for all of them is more than a little disappointing. It is, in fact, soul crushing, because I can't stop thinking about each character's future and how desolate it is now that the little bit of possibility for connection and solace they had tentatively built has been ripped out of their grasp.
Basically, the moral of the story seems to be that not only are there are no Dickensian twists, but modern/city life is all about disconnection, and therefore sensitive people are screwed.
As a sensitive person who has trouble finding deeper connections with others and seeks solace in the little pockets of nature to be found in this vast city, that's really not helping me sleep tonight.
Literature doesn't have to be uplifting, but... [expletive]! The psychology of the characters and their interactions, especially how they could connect but don't, is very well drawn, as is the beauty of the natural world and the way they each seek solace within it. It would have been unrealistic to resolve everything neatly and happily, but to be left with only a feeling of crushed hopes and certain doom for all of them is more than a little disappointing. It is, in fact, soul crushing, because I can't stop thinking about each character's future and how desolate it is now that the little bit of possibility for connection and solace they had tentatively built has been ripped out of their grasp.
Basically, the moral of the story seems to be that not only are there are no Dickensian twists, but modern/city life is all about disconnection, and therefore sensitive people are screwed.
As a sensitive person who has trouble finding deeper connections with others and seeks solace in the little pockets of nature to be found in this vast city, that's really not helping me sleep tonight.
January 23, 2014
I'm from New Zealand so I like my free stuff. I feel like a failure if I fill my plate less than four times at a buffet, and at a wedding or work Christmas party it's rare to find me with fewer than two drinks in my hands at any one time. This novel being the first Goodreads freebie I've read, I was hoping it'd be a five star gem for me. Not sure how it works - if I give a bad review will I not win free books again??
Anyway 'Clay' is short but it meanders like a river. There are no rivers in 'Clay' but there's a whole lot of other nature. In fact the four main characters almost take a back seat to all the other stuff that is going on in nature. For about half of the novel it felt less like I was reading a story and more like I was reading a nature and wildlife guide.
I think this is novel is about people and their disconnect from each other. But it's a bit hard to tell.
If Melissa Harrison had invested a little more attention and description into the people as she did into the plants and clouds and bees, then I think I would have appreciated this more. I think this book definitely has an audience, but as for me, I'm more of a people person.
Anyway 'Clay' is short but it meanders like a river. There are no rivers in 'Clay' but there's a whole lot of other nature. In fact the four main characters almost take a back seat to all the other stuff that is going on in nature. For about half of the novel it felt less like I was reading a story and more like I was reading a nature and wildlife guide.
I think this is novel is about people and their disconnect from each other. But it's a bit hard to tell.
If Melissa Harrison had invested a little more attention and description into the people as she did into the plants and clouds and bees, then I think I would have appreciated this more. I think this book definitely has an audience, but as for me, I'm more of a people person.
February 16, 2013
I was sent this book by a friend who thought I'd really like it - and she was right! It's set in and around an urban park and common in South London, where large numbers of city-dwellers pass through without truly appreciating the plants and animals living there. This is not the case for 9-year-old TC, Polish immigrant Jozef and local grandmother Sophia, who all take comfort and pleasure from noticing and interacting with the wildlife around them through the seasons. Their relationships with other people and each other are far more complicated, influenced by the lifestyles and suspicious views of modern society. I loved this for its wonderfully drawn observations and descriptions of urban wildlife and really identified with the solitary child at the centre learning to track animals and discovering secret places to go to escape from the world. Have your hanky ready for the ending!
July 27, 2021
I cannot t stop thinking about the characters in this book. Melissa Harrison’s first novel is one that will stay with me a long time. It is beautifully written and I loved the characters in it. It feels like she’s cutting her teeth here, with the descriptions of nature and the city, so it doesn’t read in the same way her later books do. That is not to criticise it, I really did enjoy it and it actually felt very believable and real to me. Highly recommended.
February 3, 2013
An over-protected child, a neglected child, a Polish immigrant and an old lady living lives of differing loneliness. They each find meaning in the nature and small animal life of a nearby park. Their lives sometimes overlap and they seem to communicate and take comfort from each other in small ways and yet this reader, at least, could not relax as an overwhelming foreboding stalked the narrative.
I like Jon McGregor and Robert Macfarlane and the writing has echoes of both.
I look forward to more.
I like Jon McGregor and Robert Macfarlane and the writing has echoes of both.
I look forward to more.
May 14, 2013
Melissa Harrison's debut novel opens with a young boy called TC being questioned by social workers about his relationship with Jozef, a Polish fast food worker. From here, it flashes back to the sequence of events that lead up to this moment.
The book introduces the reader to the main characters; TC comes from a broken home, his mother doesn't seem to pay much attention to him, and doesn't even realise that he is skipping school to pursue his interests in wildlife. His Dad has left home, and it is fairly clear from the dialogue that he was an abusive figure (although he is only mentioned in the book and does not appear in person). The book also introduces Jozef, who has a passion for carving animals out of wood; other characters include Daisy, a young girl, and her grandmother, Sofia, who has recently been widowed.
TC leaves the house to avoid an argument his mother is having with her boyfriend, and Jozef sees him outside in the rain, so invites him indoors to get food, sensing that he is being neglected. Throughout the course of the book TC makes friends with Daisy, but also forms a close bond with Jozef, who is in his forties; because of this, people start to make assumptions about his motivations for hanging around with TC.
While I was critical of a recent book I read, The Bellwether Revivals for opening with a flash-forward, I found the narrative method of this novel to be quite effective, and you get the sense that things will not end happily. I was unsure of the story at first because of how slow it was, describing what various characters were doing, but on reflection it was very good at providing backstories for everyone, and most of the characters were made to be sympathetic, although I found myself disliking TC's mother towards the end because of her lack of caring and refusal to explain why she and her ex-husband split up. What struck me most was the social commentary and the implicit critique about how people make assumptions; this book addresses the obvious social taboo of a child hanging around with an adult who he is not related to, and later in the book Sofia makes a good observation about how the age difference should not matter, just how you get on with the other person.
The book is also very harrowing at times, particularly a scene where TC witnesses some youths organising a dogfight, and I did find my eyes starting to water towards the end. The tone put me in mind of the movies of Shane Meadows ("Somers Town" and "This is England", for example).
Overall, I loved this book a lot and would recommend it to other readers.
January 26, 2014
This was a goodreads giveaway and sounded like the kind of book I enjoy. It's about people and the impact they can have on each other's lives.
I thought it was a beautifully written book full of snippets of real life, like Sophia and the daffodil bulbs and her threadbare tea towels. I was all set to give it 5 stars until the end. It was so sad and brutal. In many ways it reminded me of Atonement, the devastation that one thing can have on so many lives.
Would I recommend this book? Yes and I would read Melissa's next book.
I thought it was a beautifully written book full of snippets of real life, like Sophia and the daffodil bulbs and her threadbare tea towels. I was all set to give it 5 stars until the end. It was so sad and brutal. In many ways it reminded me of Atonement, the devastation that one thing can have on so many lives.
Would I recommend this book? Yes and I would read Melissa's next book.
June 30, 2013
This is a really beautiful book. I felt immersed in the world of the characters from the moment I started reading, probably because Melissa Harrison's descriptive prose is incredibly vivid. I loved the main character TC - I could really relate to him. This is one of those stories that will stay with you after you read it.
October 6, 2014
Loved it! Often when I read I skip the descriptive bits in order to focus on the story. It was the other way round here. The descriptions of the wildlife, weather conditions and seasonal variation were magical! Great to have my love of wildlife nurtured in a novel.
August 25, 2020
A beguiling book that entwined people and nature. Loved the prose, not over precious, yet I could see and hear and sense the seasons as they were described. Also because the setting was in London, the nature was small and confined, with just a hint, an echo of something greater and wilder, perhaps like the wolf the little boy wanted to see.
Found the characters less successful, only the grandmother and granddaughter were clear. They were contrary and awkward - more real.
Found the characters less successful, only the grandmother and granddaughter were clear. They were contrary and awkward - more real.
March 12, 2021
The style is strangely disjointed, but in a good way. I was always aware I was reading a beautifully written book, rather than feeling immersed in the characters worlds. A story recounted rather than a ripping yarn.
The nature writing is counterintuitive in a book set in central London, where most are so disconnected from the earth, which is perhaps why it is so powerful.
The nature writing is counterintuitive in a book set in central London, where most are so disconnected from the earth, which is perhaps why it is so powerful.
June 28, 2022
I was balancing between 4 and 5 ⭐️, but the 5⭐️ rating won🫶🏼🤗
Review is coming!🫶🏼
Review is coming!🫶🏼
March 13, 2023
Really enjoyed this - lovely descriptions of nature all around us that most people fail to notice. The characters really were playing 2nd fiddle to the setting, but I loved the 3 main characters, all connected by their love of their little park. Oh and there's a lovely dog 😉 Sad and thought provoking too.
March 16, 2024
An urban nature diary told through a heart achingly beautiful novel.
February 24, 2020
Although for many years I’d enjoyed Melissa Harrison’s nature writing, the first novel of hers which I read was “All Among the Barley” and, having enjoyed her quite brilliant story-telling in that one, I was motivated to read her debut novel … as well as any others she has already written… or will write in the future!
I love her eloquent, lyrical and unhurried prose, which she uses very effectively to encapsulate something essential about the changing seasons of the natural world, demonstrating how, even in the most urban of environments, it’s possible to observe these changes if you’re prepared to take the time to stop, look, listen and smell. I enjoyed the myriad ways in which she used the interest each of her main characters showed in the flora and fauna which surrounded them to create the links which brought them together, creating the inter-relatedness which shaped the story’s development. Whilst I felt that I got to know the three main characters well, there were moments when I felt there was an imbalance in the overall story-telling, that nature and the urban landscape were rather more evocatively-drawn “characters” than some of the more peripheral, but key to the story, human ones, rendering them rather one-dimensional. As an example, I’d like to have understood much more about why Kelly, TC’s mother, was so neglectful of her young son. I’m not a reader who needs to have everything spelled out to me but, although there were some implicit clues, a little more background information would have added an important extra dimension to understanding the driving-force behind her behaviour. However, in spite of this slight criticism, I did find myself drawn into the worlds of each of the characters and found myself caring deeply about what was happening to them, feeling increasingly fearful about their individual fates as the story unfolded and reached its sad, if predictable, conclusion.
I found it fascinating (as well as impressive) to discover that all the “seeds” for Melissa Harrison’s “trademark” reflections on the inter-connectedness of nature and her human characters were apparent in this story. However, I think that in her later writing she has refined this skill, achieving a better balance and making the inter-relatedness even more powerfully significant. A sad and haunting story.
I love her eloquent, lyrical and unhurried prose, which she uses very effectively to encapsulate something essential about the changing seasons of the natural world, demonstrating how, even in the most urban of environments, it’s possible to observe these changes if you’re prepared to take the time to stop, look, listen and smell. I enjoyed the myriad ways in which she used the interest each of her main characters showed in the flora and fauna which surrounded them to create the links which brought them together, creating the inter-relatedness which shaped the story’s development. Whilst I felt that I got to know the three main characters well, there were moments when I felt there was an imbalance in the overall story-telling, that nature and the urban landscape were rather more evocatively-drawn “characters” than some of the more peripheral, but key to the story, human ones, rendering them rather one-dimensional. As an example, I’d like to have understood much more about why Kelly, TC’s mother, was so neglectful of her young son. I’m not a reader who needs to have everything spelled out to me but, although there were some implicit clues, a little more background information would have added an important extra dimension to understanding the driving-force behind her behaviour. However, in spite of this slight criticism, I did find myself drawn into the worlds of each of the characters and found myself caring deeply about what was happening to them, feeling increasingly fearful about their individual fates as the story unfolded and reached its sad, if predictable, conclusion.
I found it fascinating (as well as impressive) to discover that all the “seeds” for Melissa Harrison’s “trademark” reflections on the inter-connectedness of nature and her human characters were apparent in this story. However, I think that in her later writing she has refined this skill, achieving a better balance and making the inter-relatedness even more powerfully significant. A sad and haunting story.
February 18, 2014
This is a terrific little book. Clay follows the lives of several lonely individuals who all find connections, both with each other and through the natural environment, that help them to recover from the losses in their lives. Set in London but with vivid descriptions of gardens and their inhabitants, both flora and fauna, the setting acts, perhaps not as a character but as a catalyst for change, a refuge and a way to connect with what is important in life.
The ending, sadly, was a let down, with most of the characters (or their lives) returning to how they were at the start. I really wish her editor had worked with her on this as I was bitterly disappointed that some characters had either failed to grow or society had prevented them from doing so which left me wondering what was the point?
Overall, however this was well worth the read and I loved the three central characters and could relate to the idea that we need to reconnect with the beauty and wonder that is all around us and to connect with each other.
The ending, sadly, was a let down, with most of the characters (or their lives) returning to how they were at the start. I really wish her editor had worked with her on this as I was bitterly disappointed that some characters had either failed to grow or society had prevented them from doing so which left me wondering what was the point?
Overall, however this was well worth the read and I loved the three central characters and could relate to the idea that we need to reconnect with the beauty and wonder that is all around us and to connect with each other.
August 28, 2015
A remarkable and sensitive story of an eight year old boy, TC, of Josef a Polish farmer, and Sophia, 78, who loves her grand daughter, Daisy. Their marginalized lives intermingle. TC skips school, obsessed with wild life. They are all lonely and lost. Josef befriends TC, in a gentle, caring way but which ultimately leads to trouble. Melissa Harrison’s feel for nature in all its forms is a joy, her language lyrical, her characters complex and true. I’d like to take TC home with me. Rarely have I read such a sensitive account of a small boy’s life and bewilderment.
August 12, 2014
A boring book which got interesting in the last 3 pages. Some beautiful writing. Lots of waffle. The elements of good social observation got lost amongst descriptions of trees...blah, blah, blah.
March 8, 2017
This is a stupid, stupid book that I threw across the room after I sped read the last 50 pages. Miss Harrison should stick to nature writing, or at least see a bit more of the world before she imagines these horrible endings for her old characters. It was like when I was 8 & my stories began 'the ship went down but thankfully all the children were saved'. I am actually furious. She creates Jozef, a gentle man who just wants to love his dog, but she does not allow him that. A stupid, unlikely misunderstanding using words that are brand new to the story - when did Linda say that? Linda is much too up uptight to speak of her mother that way in front of Daisy,- & I was paying attention most of the way like Linda's gardening interest was no mystery like another reviewer said, completely ruined a man's quiet life. I have to believe that once we get past a certain age, when we no longer dream of riches & a passionate alll consuming love, when we have given up on our dreams, we will be allowed to live quietly with our dog, or with our cat, & continue watching the birdsa & the seasons change.
Miss Harrison should read Nest by Inga Simpson, she has tacked a different sort of ending on altogether to what u might expect. Yes, the signs were there that we were leading to a brutal & frightening showdown but TC got what he wanted (or did he? will his fathers fall from grace be what TC will soon have to face? is that what she wanted us to think became of TC?). This writer has done her readers a disservice, there is value in happy endings, like making your readers want tto read another of your books. I will avoid her books like the plague in future but do expect to se her writing nature columns, which she would be good at.
Miss Harrison should read Nest by Inga Simpson, she has tacked a different sort of ending on altogether to what u might expect. Yes, the signs were there that we were leading to a brutal & frightening showdown but TC got what he wanted (or did he? will his fathers fall from grace be what TC will soon have to face? is that what she wanted us to think became of TC?). This writer has done her readers a disservice, there is value in happy endings, like making your readers want tto read another of your books. I will avoid her books like the plague in future but do expect to se her writing nature columns, which she would be good at.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2025
This was unexpectedly touching. Set in an area of London with a large run down estate but also with a small park and a common close by, the novel explores the interconnecting lives of, amongst others, Jozef, a Polish man living on the edges of society trying to make a life for himself in London and his growing friendship with TC a 10 year old boy uncared for by his mother and who spends most of his time outdoors in the park exploring nature. Also, there is Sophia, a grandmother, who lives on the edge of the estate overlooking the park. She is estranged from her daughter but still has a connection with her granddaughter. Everybody's lives interconnect along the way, not always for the good.
There are some beautiful descriptions of nature through the seasons, reflecting upon how we can still seek wonder from interactions with nature regardless of where we live, be it in the country or in the heart of a big city.
Ultimately it was a rather wistful and sad novel, reflecting upon modern society and its loss of connection to nature, how our lives are the poorer for that ultimately. I felt sad for the fractured lives at the end, that could so easily have been healed gently through the connections made with observing nature.
There are some beautiful descriptions of nature through the seasons, reflecting upon how we can still seek wonder from interactions with nature regardless of where we live, be it in the country or in the heart of a big city.
Ultimately it was a rather wistful and sad novel, reflecting upon modern society and its loss of connection to nature, how our lives are the poorer for that ultimately. I felt sad for the fractured lives at the end, that could so easily have been healed gently through the connections made with observing nature.
December 21, 2021
Clay is a novel that connects three people through their love of being outside and of the small space within the centre of the city, a small park and the close by common. A small boy, a seventy eight year old woman and a man who dreams of his old farm in his home land, TC, Sophia and Jozef. They all go about their own ways, spending each day as it comes, whether its TC skipping school or Sophia writing her letters to her granddaughter or even Jozef spending his time between working and the park. They all have their own troubles, their own problems in the world that they shoulder themselves, but they are all aware of each other, the little bubbles of their world moving to cross within each other every so often, TC and Jozef more often than not.
Melissa Harrison has written a novel that is boarding on the edges of innocence and drama, friendship in a world that screams danger. Her words are poetic and beautiful, a must read book for all who wants to escape for a moment in to the landscape around them.
Melissa Harrison has written a novel that is boarding on the edges of innocence and drama, friendship in a world that screams danger. Her words are poetic and beautiful, a must read book for all who wants to escape for a moment in to the landscape around them.
November 28, 2016
An interesting novel about loneliness and our disconnection from nature. It centres on a run down city park and four main characters whose lives intersect through their use of the park: Sophia, an elderly widow who refuses to move from her flat in a now run-down estate because she loves overlooking the park; TC, a neglected boy from a nearby tower block who studies the park wildlife while playing truant from school; Josef, who lost his Polish farm after the fall of communism and now works in a takeaway and spends time in the park because he misses his rural life back home; and Daisy, Sophia's middle class granddaughter whose mother is afraid to give her the freedom to play that she enjoyed growing up next to the park. The novel explores what we lose by our increasingly indoor lives, both in our connections with nature and with other people. It's sad, beautifully written and well observed.
August 19, 2019
I read Melissa Harrison’s most recent novel All Among The Barley and was so impressed that I decided to return her earlier novels.
Clay is another impressive novel, with the natural world playing a leading role in the narrative.
Clay centres around a city centre park and the various characters who love the park and the nature within it: TC, a lonely young boy, Daisy, a girl from a privileged background, her grandmother Sophia and a Polish immigrant, Josef who lives with memories of the farm he lost in Poland. The characters interact in various ways, but the common factor is their interest in nature and their love of the park.
The novel gradually moves towards an unhappy ending with the friendships between the characters broken forever and their connection with the park lost.
Harrison is a master of nature writing and her detailed description of the natural world are central to the novel’s success.
Clay is another impressive novel, with the natural world playing a leading role in the narrative.
Clay centres around a city centre park and the various characters who love the park and the nature within it: TC, a lonely young boy, Daisy, a girl from a privileged background, her grandmother Sophia and a Polish immigrant, Josef who lives with memories of the farm he lost in Poland. The characters interact in various ways, but the common factor is their interest in nature and their love of the park.
The novel gradually moves towards an unhappy ending with the friendships between the characters broken forever and their connection with the park lost.
Harrison is a master of nature writing and her detailed description of the natural world are central to the novel’s success.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2021
Not as good as the other two I have read (but this was her first novel I think) . I really appreciated all the nature references, especially as it describes urban 'forgotten bits' of greenery, shrubbery, brambles etc ... and then the characters that love this ares for their different reasons.
These characters all link up in some way, however different their stories ... there is a young single-parent boy neglected at home, a Polish ex-farmer now working in takeaways and for a house clearance company. a 'hippy grandmother' regretting her daughter's move to upmarket living and her granddaughter's consequent lack of understanding and fears about outdoor life. And the daughter and granddaughter themselves. All are 'lost' in some way; all find part-solace in nature.
The ending is stark and sudden (which is well done as throughout the book you are drawn into feeling that nature moves so slowly at its own pace).
Very Enjoyable to read ......
These characters all link up in some way, however different their stories ... there is a young single-parent boy neglected at home, a Polish ex-farmer now working in takeaways and for a house clearance company. a 'hippy grandmother' regretting her daughter's move to upmarket living and her granddaughter's consequent lack of understanding and fears about outdoor life. And the daughter and granddaughter themselves. All are 'lost' in some way; all find part-solace in nature.
The ending is stark and sudden (which is well done as throughout the book you are drawn into feeling that nature moves so slowly at its own pace).
Very Enjoyable to read ......
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