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I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander

Beth Kander has created a fantastical, mysterious and heartwarming novel sure to enchant readers.

There are several scenes in I Made It Out of Clay that are laugh-out-loud hilarious which contrast with the poignant tender moments in the life of protagonist Eve Goodman for whom one feels heartfelt empathy. This is author and playwright Beth Kander’s debut adult novel, an endearing, clever mash-up of magical realism, Jewish folklore and romantic comedy.

Her previous books are in young adult and children’s fiction genres. Eight of her plays have been successfully staged in notable regional theaters throughout the county. Hazardous Materials, staged at Creede Repertory Theatre in Creede, CO, received the 2019-2020 Henry Award for Best New Play or Musical. Other plays are in development or have been workshopped.

“Dying is easy, comedy is hard,” is most often attributed to character actor Edmund Gwenn (1877-1959) who is most remembered for his portrayal of Kris Kringle in the charming perennial Christmas favorite Miracle on 34th Street.  Writing comedy is clearly a skill Beth Kander has mastered. She shared her expertise in late June 2024, as a participant in The Laugh’s On Us! Comedy Authors Showcase presented at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference in San Diego.

Single and Desperate — A Recipe for Mayhem

Eve Goodman is a senior copywriter at Mercer & Mercer, a fictional advertising agency in Chicago that is in danger of losing a major client. There have already been some layoffs, including her dear friend Bryan, and office scuttlebutt has it that more heads are on the block. 

Catchy, buzzworthy creative writing needed for successful ad campaigns is one of the few things in her currently frustrating life that she continues to rely on. Single, not currently dating and turning 40 the day after her perfect little sister Rosie’s wedding is adding to her misery along with the extra 20 pounds of grief weight padding her already zaftig figure.

Aside from their parents, Eve and Rosie have little in common while their 6-year age gap serves to emphasize their differences: they don’t even like the same music! Rosie is a thin, blond social butterfly who was president of her sorority and is one of St. Louis’s leading fitness instructors with about a million followers on TikTok where she is known as GoGo-RoRo. She is marrying the girl of her dreams, Ana, a hotshot lawyer, whom she met at age 12 at Camp Heller-Diamond, a Jewish summer camp, and been in a committed relationship with since college.

In celebration of their first meeting, their Hanukkah-themed festive wedding and reception will be held at that camp. Eve is the titular maid-of-honor but has left the actual planning duties to Rosie’s best friend and has not actively taken part in any of the pre-wedding rituals. Worse still she RSVP’d to the invitation with a “plus-one” and time is running out. The bridesmaid dress is bad enough but to show up dateless would be unforgivable. Out of desperation, she asks her new neighbor whom she secretly nicknamed “Hot Josh” to accompany her but he declined citing an unspecified conflict.

A Dash of Jewish Folklore and History

Eve desperately misses her dad whom she feels her mother and sister have not properly grieved since his sudden death earlier in the year. The holidays will not be the same without him. Though the family is of eastern European Ashkenazi descent, they are a Reform Jewish family and not wholly observant. Eva and Rosie did celebrate their Bat Mitzvahs as their mother believed tradition and study were essential.

However, David Moshe Goodman and his older daughter loved Christmas lights, decorated trees, and listened to and sang along with secular carols with her dad loudly belting the lyrics off-key. Such good times were sorely missed.

In the back of her overactive brain surfaces a vague memory of her late Ukrainian grandmother Bubbe’s tale of making a golem for help and protection which she dismissed as ancient Jewish folklore. Note: according to the Cambridge Online Dictionary: “a golem is a figure made of clay that magically turns into a real person.”

Her 100-year-old apartment building has a washer and dryer in the basement and in one dark corner a surplus of foundation clay the supervisor used for some repairs. What’s a girl who promised to bring a “plus-one” to do?

A Spoonful of Romance, Drama and Humor

Eve hastily pats together a few handfuls of clay and carves the traditional invocation as relayed by Bubbe, “Alef-mem-tav” into his brow. She had also confided that if the golem is no longer needed, erasing “alef” would put him to rest to patiently wait.

Eve was shocked to see a very tall, handsome man built like a linebacker standing before her with the magical words carved into his forehead. He was in need of a cap or hat to conceal the words inscribed and indeed, appeared bereft of any clothing at all! However, there in an instant was her bodyguard and escort for the wedding.

Complications arise as I Made It Out of Clay plays out with unforeseen circumstances, great hilarity, healing and romantic interest (with a real human) ensuing for Eve. It’s the perfect antidote to the chill and early darkness of winter and a great anytime read. Beth Kander has created a fantastical, mysterious and heartwarming novel sure to enchant readers.


Beth Kander is a USA Today best-selling novelist with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. She is the author of I Made It Out of Clay, her adult debut, as well as several books for younger readers. The granddaughter of immigrants, her work often explores how worlds old and new intertwine — or collide. Described as a “genre-defying author and playwright” (Oxford American), her work has been called “riveting” and “habit-forming.” Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily, Writer’s Digest, Slackjaw, Frazzled, and other outlets.

Beth earned an MSW from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women, where she now serves as visiting faculty. She currently calls Chicago home, and is lucky to live there with her very favorite characters: her heroic husband, their two hilarious kids, and a giant rescue dog named Oz. Right this moment, she’s probably revising a scene while drinking too much coffee.

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I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander
Publish Date: 12/10/2024
Genre: Romance
Author: Beth Kander
Page Count: 352 pages
Publisher: MIRA
ISBN: 9780778368120
Linda Hitchcock

Linda Hitchcock is a native Virginian who relocated to a small farm in rural Kentucky with her beloved husband, John, 14 years ago. She’s a lifelong, voracious reader and a library advocate who volunteers with her local Friends of the Library organization as well as the Friends of Kentucky Library board. She’s a member of the National Book Critic’s Circle, Glasgow Musicale and DAR. Linda began her writing career as a technical and business writer for a major West Coast-based bank and later worked in the real estate marketing and advertising sphere. She writes weekly book reviews for her local county library and Glasgow Daily Times and has contributed to Bowling Green Living Magazine, BookBrowse.com, BookTrib.com, the Barren County Progress newspaper and SOKY Happenings among other publications. She also serves as a volunteer publicist for several community organizations. In addition to reading and writing, Linda enjoys cooking, baking, flower and vegetable gardening, and in non-pandemic times, attending as many cultural events and author talks as time permits.