Main characters the main characters are clay, alma, easter, dreama, evangeline, cake, and gabe. Clay sizemore, a young coal miner from a big family and a small. On a bonechilling new years day, when all the mountain roads are slick with ice, clays mother, anneth, insists on lea. Almost gave up on it at the front of the book since the habits of the characters just didnt interest me, but as the story unfolded mr. House will give a free, public reading from southernmost on march 19 at 7. Houses fiction is known for its attention to the natural world, working class characters, and the plight of the rural place and rural people. His first book, clay s quilt, received critical acclaim and won the bronze medal award from foreword magazine. Clays quilt completely kentucky wiki fandom powered. If home is a dominant theme in this story, what happens to the plot, the characters, and the tone of the story when alma and clay leave the mountains of eastern kentucky and travel to myrtle beach, south carolina. Renowned kentucky author silas house wins transylvanias.
Silas house is one of the truest and most exciting new voices in american fiction. By silas house when silas house made his debut with clays quilt last year, it touched a nerve not just in his home state where it quickly became a bestseller, but all across the country. On a bonechilling new years day, when all the mountain roads are slick with ice, clays mother, anneth, insists on leaving her husband. Best music of 2017 a country boy can surmise silas house. House drew me into the characters and made the novel memorable. Even if you move away from your childhood home, it. Born in 1971 in lily, ky nearby leslie county is the basis for fictional crow county in clays quilt published in. In clays quilt, silas houses spirited debut novel set in the hills and hollows of southern appalachia, clay sizemore grows up knowing there are pieces missing. His novel southernmost will be published in june 2018. Clays struggles to accept his mothers early and violent death war with his desire to live and to find love. Salon talks to silas house about writing an lgbt rights novel from a conservative rural ministers point of view. Silas house is the author of clays quilt, a parchment of leaves, the coal tattoo, eli the good, same sun here coauthored with neela vaswani, 2012. Silas house returns to the symposium with his sixth novel southernmost, the story of a tennessee preacher who, after a disastrous cumberland river flood, embarks on a search for his ostracized, gay brother.
Surrounded by aunts and uncles, loyal friends and cousins, clay loves his town of free creek. He was chosen as one of the ten emerging writers by the millennial gathering of writers at vanderbilt university in 2000 and was given the james still award for special achievement. This is one of three books by silas house about this multigenerational family. Sometimes she thought the lumber of the house held ghosts. Clay has spent much of his life being defined by an event from his childhood, when he witnesses his mothers murder as a fouryearold during a terrible snowstorm. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist. The book is so real its painful to read in places, lit by a special knowledge and affection. A deep love for home suffuses this heartfelt, wellcrafted debut novel set in the kentucky hills. Denzel almas exhusband, and the man clay later kills.
Author silas house has written an evocative and lyrical book about clay sizemore, a young man tied to his family and community in kentucky, and how he finds his place in life. House was selected to edit the posthumous manuscript of. Nashvillebased writer jeff zentner contributes todays interview of silas house, author of the new novel southernmost ive been a huge silas house fan ever since reading his novel clays quilt on the recommendation of an author friend. To ask other readers questions about clays quilt, please sign up. Clays quilt by silas house make complete sentences as you answer question with asterisk. Clays quilt by silas house overdrive rakuten overdrive. Silas house, author of clays quilt and southernmost natalie sypolt has written gorgeous stories about a much maligned region and a people that are too often viewed from the interstate, behind a camera, and on the screen. A country boy can surmise author silas house blogs about writing, the writing life, books, movies, nature, religion, politics, and other things that generally concern conscious people. A frequent contributor to the new york times and a former commentator for nprs all things considered, house is a member of the fellowship of southern writers and is the winner of the nautilus award, the appalachian writers associations book. His place is rural kentucky, of which he writes a poignant story. Those three elements characters, place and trouble play a central role in much of houses work.
Published in 2001, clays quilt is a contemporary fiction novel by silas house. Clays quilt is an authentic and beautiful novel of contemporary appalachian fiction. Clays quilt this paper analyzes the book clays quilt by silas house. View essay clays quilt cdc from english 104 at mercy academy. Together, they help clay fashion a quilt of a life from what treasured pieces surround him. Vividly poetic in its description of appalachian natural resources, heartwarming and honest in its portrayal of people linked by their love for their environs and family, clays quilt is in the top three on my reread often list. In this debut novel, silas house deftly stitches a search for understanding and love with picturesque appalachia. His first three novels, clays quilt 2001, a parchment of leaves 2003 and a coal tattoo 2004, collectively serve as a multigenerational trilogy set in the fictional crow county, kentucky. I began by reading his debut, clays quilt, and takes place in the 1970s 1990s time frame. A kentucky authors plaintive debut tells the story of coal miner clay sizemores efforts to understand and possess his own history, shattered when he was a threeyearold present at his own mothers murder.
House is the author of the bestselling books clays quilt, a parchment of leaves, the coal tattoo, somethings rising, eli the good, and same sun here. Clays quilt is the last book in houses appalachian trilogy a parchment of leaves and the coal tattoo about the sizemore and sullivan family, who live in the mountains of eastern kentucky. A parchment of leaves is silas house s second novel. The annual award recognizes outstanding recent works by writers in the appalachian region.
There seems to be underlying themes of history, stories, music and endless wisdom that. Specifically, it discusses the character of clay in the novel, and the pull he feels between religion and a more worldly life. She packs her things, and with threeyearold clay in tow, they inch their way toward her hometown along the treacherous mountain roads. Clay sizemore, a young coal miner who lost his mother at a young age, is the main character of clays quilt. But what he doesnt havea mother, a father, sisters or brothersis what gnaws at him year after year.
Clays quilt ballantine readers circle house, silas on. She tells clay that a family should live right together. The spring is a symbol of hope and good things to come 3. A parchment of leaves by silas house the adventures of. Houses story is full of real anguish, conviction, joy, and the quest for answers from its people. When he meets an attractive fiddler named alma he decides. This summary of clays quilt includes a complete plot overview spoilers. Its also the best story collection ive read in a long while. When clay told his aunt easter he was moving out of her house, she cried until her eyes were red and swollen. Clays quilt surprises us and rewards us sentence by sentence with the deep poetry of kinship. The fictional setting is a small coal mining community called free creek. Compare and contrast the rituals of appalachian weddings and funerals in clays quilt to your own experiences.
Renowned kentucky author silas house received the transylvania universitys 2019 judy gaines young book award for his novel southernmost. Clay sizemore, a young coal miner from a big family and a small town, never doubts that he will li. Nobody writes the varied landscapes physical, emotional, and cultural of the american south quite like he does. If these viewers were too slow down and open the pages. In this semiautobiogragical novel, we meet a young man named clay. Apparently there is a trilogy about his family but i. If home is a dominant theme in this story, what happens to the plot, the characters, and the tone of the story when alma and clay leave the. Read clays quilt by silas house available from rakuten kobo. Silas house has won transylvanias judy gaines young book award for his novel, southernmost. Clay sizemore was just four years old when his mother died. I began with silas houses a parchment of leaves because it had won prizes for.
Silas house wins transylvanias judy gaines young book. His book for middlegrade readers, same sun here, was a finalist for the e. Clay sizemore is a character any reader will quickly befriend, not only because of the tragedy of losing his mother, but because clay is a loveable young man. Born in 1971 in lily, ky nearby leslie county is the basis for fictional crow county in clays quilt published in 2001, cq is his debut novel both cq and eli the good are somewhat autobiographical silas house blog 3. This novel by silas house, a renowned kentucky author, was houses debut novel in 2001. Renowned kentucky author silas house has received transylvania universitys 2019 judy gaines young book award for his novel, southernmost. And what leads him to leave free creek and try to make a life of his own. Eli the good, by awardwinning author silas house clays quilt, a parchment of leaves, the coal tattoo, delivers a beautiful and compelling american story about friendship, love, and acceptance. Clays quilt by silas house book club discussion questions. Clay sizemore is in his midtwenties and has tired of his livingfortheweekend lifestyle.
However, the repercussions of this extractive endeavor form the symbolic backbone of coal tattoo. This story, the coal tattoo takes places in the 1950s1960s. Houses other novels include the coal tattoo, a parchment of leaves, clays quilt, eli the good, and same sun here with neela vaswani. A frequent contributor to the new york times and a former commentator for nprs all things considered, house is a member of the fellowship of southern writers and is the winner of the nautilus award, the appalachian writers associations book of the. Clays quilt is a 2001 novel by silas house, first published by algonquin books. What horrific event has occurred early in clay sizemores life to cast a pall over his young life. Thesis on clays quilt by silas house assignment the novel tells the story of clay sizemore, a young coal miner in appalachia. Theres aunt easter, who is always filled with a sense of foreboding, bound to her faith above all. Silas dwane house born august 7, 1971 is an american writer best known for his novels. Silas house receives judy gaines young book award local. Download 4page thesis on clays quilt by silas house 2020. Houses prose places the reader, like a close friend, beside clay. She imagined those creaks and moans were the whispers and sighs of the dead, even though she knew better.
1490 307 403 1035 816 122 1006 84 954 144 1303 720 536 1393 1348 238 82 744 574 707 550 1217 895 1113 854 897 887