

Most amazing of all, he possesses the ability to bring his creations to life.

He also appears to be blessed with a remarkable talent for molding figures out of clay.

Stephen claims to have communicated with an angel, yet questions the existence of God. It becomes immediately apparent to David, who narrates, that Stephen, who has left the school where he was studying to be a priest, is different from other boys. At his priest's request, altar boy David befriends a new member of the parish, Stephen, who has come to live with his "crazy" Aunt Mary after his father dies suddenly and his mother becomes mentally ill. ) this eerie tale shows the disastrous effects of two boys attempting to play God. Perhaps the most unsettling of Almond's supernatural novels ( Skellig
