Preorder I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander
I Made It Out of Clay: A Novel
by Beth Kander
On Sale Date: December 10, 2024
ISBN 9780778368120
Hardcover with dust jacket | 352 pages
$30.00 USD
Fiction
Preorder I Made It Out of Clay from Friendly City Books!
We are thrilled to bring you the debut adult novel from the multitalented author and playwright Beth Kander, a graduate of Mississippi University for Women’s MFA in Creative Writing located right here in the Friendly City of Columbus. We’re so glad to consider her a friend of the bookstore.
— Emily Liner, Founder, Friendly City Books
In this darkly funny and surprisingly sweet novel, a woman creates a golem in a desperate attempt to pretend her life is a romcom rather than a disaster.
Nothing’s going well for Eve: she’s single, turning forty, stressed at work and anxious about a recent series of increasingly creepy incidents. Most devastatingly, her beloved father died last year, and her family still won’t acknowledge their sorrow.
With her younger sister’s wedding rapidly approaching, Eve is on the verge of panic. She can’t bear to attend the event alone. That’s when she recalls a strange story her Yiddish grandmother once told her, about a protector forged of desperation…and Eve, to her own shock, manages to create a golem.
At first, everything seems great. The golem is indeed protective—and also attractive. But when they head out to a rural summer camp for the family wedding, Eve’s lighthearted rom-com fantasy swiftly mudslides into something much darker.
With moments of moodiness, fierce love and unexpected laughter, I Made It Out of Clay will make you see monsters everywhere.
“Beth Kander’s I Made It Out of Clay is at turns laugh-out-loud funny, gut-punchingly profound, and inexpressibly tender. All through the very entertaining device of the golem, a kind of ‘ultimate protector’ (and yes, now I kind of want a golem of my own), Kander’s book gets at the unique pain—and importance—of opening your heart, even when it’s broken, and even when it will break again. An examination of grief like no other I’ve read, Kander’s book is not only incredibly relevant to the times we live in, but to anyone who has walked through loss. An absolute must-read.”
— Jenna Satterthwaite, author of Made for You
Beth Kander photo by Kyle Bice / KAB Studio
Beth Kander is a novelist and playwright with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. The granddaughter of immigrants, her writing explores how worlds old and new intertwine—or collide. Her work has been described as “riveting,” “emotional,” “expertly crafted,” and “habit-forming." Expect twists, turns, and secrets, with surprising heart and humor. Beth has too many degrees and drinks too much coffee. Her favorite characters are her dashing husband and their two lovely kids.