The Clay Girl Sequel: Cracked Pots

It has taken 5 years, but Heather's sequel to The Clay Girl will arrive in bookstores this October. People loved Ari, the Clay Girl, and a sequel was called for. Due to trying life circumstances, it took Heather quite awhile to write it.

Back in 2016 and beyond, the great reviews for The Clay Girl kept on coming and coming, and Heather travelled as far as California to meet with book clubs.

Some of the many rave reviews can be found on Goodreads. When I clicked in, my daughter's, Shauna's, was at the top of the first page, so I will paste it here.

As I finish this book my eyes are "ocean-full".

This book.... this book.... it's a beautiful work of art much like Ari's poems and the clay pots and batik tshirts I see in my mind's eye as I turn the pages.

The characters are so robust and imperfectly human that I dare you to not believe they are real people.

The Clay Girl is a Jewel. My copy is flagged and little stars and lines decorate the pages where I've noted unique turns of phrase that ensure this book will remain a favourite of mine until forever. The Clay Girl "is a sapphire strung on" a string "of pebbles and pearls."

Then, I went over to Amazon, where I was able to reread Vicky Lane's review, which I have also pasted below. 

This is an amazing debut. The story of Ari, youngest of six sisters in an extremely dysfunctional family is told slant -- in language so poetic, so allusive, so enigmatic that for the first few pages I found myself agreeing with Ari's teachers later in the book as he reads one of her stories: "I haven't a clue what half of it means but I feel it, I see it, and on some level I understand it completely."

The puzzlement clears soon and it becomes obvious that Ari is telling her story in the only way she can --sideways because the full on reality is too harsh.

The novel follows Ari from eight -- when her father kills himself, her mother has a breakdown, and the sisters are doled out to various relatives -- to sixteen when she has an opportunity to put into action the lessons life has taught her. During those eight years, Ari bounces between wonderful, nurturing situations and people -- and other people and situations that will test all her resilience.

The beauty of the writing and the indomitable spirit of young Ari keep this book from being depressing. Horrible things happen -- but so do wonderful things.

Highly, highly recommended!

Vicky is both a blogger and author, and I recently posted my own review of her newest novel And the Crows Took Their Eyes.

Since it has been a long time since Clay Girl, I have written all of the above to remind us all how wonderful and acclaimed the novel was. The sequel and conclusion, entitled Cracked Pots, will be published in October, and I predict that it will be inspiring and heartwarming.

I feel safe in my prediction because once upon a time, I read the original manuscript when the two novels were one. While they had to be separated into two volumes for publication requirements and thus have had to be rewritten extensively, I am sure that the wonder of Ari's evolution and triumph will be maintained.  

I must end my enthusiastic prattling, by showing you the cover and the accompanying blurb, below.

Publisher Link