Amber & Clay

Reviewer’s note: Portions of Amber & Clay are written in prose, and portions are in blank verse of varying rhythms. In order to save space, I have taken the liberty of rendering all quotations in prose, without the line breaks of poetry.

Two characters undergo changes of name: Meda becomes “Thratta”, and after that change, throughout the review, I refer to her as “Thratta”. Rhaskos is known by two other names in the story and throughout the review, I will refer to him as “Rhaskos”.

Amber & Clay, authored by Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz is an amazing tale of two young people who come from very different stations in ancient Grecian society. Hermes, the Greek god who brings dreams and luck, prefaces the novel with a witty strophe, describing Rhaskos (his name means “quick”) as a slave boy - unlucky, at first - a clever boy who thought that he was stupid. Like his mother, he is “redheaded, nervy, neglected”. (p. 4) Melisto (her name means “honeycomb”) begins life with good luck as the adored daughter of a rich man. However, she is “prone to tantrums, hating the loom. A wild girl, chosen by Artemis.” (p. 5) Rhaskos’ and Melisto’s stories run parallel, but common to both is Meda (a.k.a.Thratta), Rhaskos’ mother, and Melisto’s nurse. Through her presence, and later, her intervention, the stories of the two children converge.

At more than 500 pages (including the “Author’s Notes” and a “Bibliography”), the novel looks forbiddingly long, but Hermes cautions, “Don’t put down the book --. . . If the lines look like poetry, relax. This book is shorter than it looks.” (p. 1) A “Cast of Characters” assists the reader in identifying who is who in Thessaly, Athens, Brauron, and Mount Olympus. Four of the Olympian gods offer commentary on the lives of the mortal characters, always speaking in verse, as does Rhaskos; the lives of Melisto and Meda are narrated in the third-person. Additional visual content is provided by a series of black and white graphics, illustrating archaeological “Exhibits”. Each Exhibit is the starting point for the next portion of the narrative, situating the story in both its past and present historical and archaeological context.

Born in Thessaly, “a land known for witchcraft, horses, and meadows rich with grain” (p. 7), Rhaskos lives in the household of the wealthy Alexidemus. His mother, Meda, is nurse to Menon and Lykos, sons of Alexidemus and those of his brother Thucydides. Meda, the tall, strong, red-haired daughter of a Thracian noble, was kidnapped, raped, and sold into slavery. Charged with care of the household’s children, she cherishes Rhaskos and, at night, tells him stories of the horses her father proudly owned. Although Rhaskos is a “slave brat”, he plays with his master’s children. When a game of “Do-what-I-Do” leads the boys into the andron, the best room in the house and one in which children aren’t allowed, Galene, Alexidemus’s wife, is furious. She knows that her husband fathered Rhaskos. One night, Meda comes to the barn where her son sleeps, cuts into his arms the markings of her clan and rubs the cuts with ashes to make them permanent. The next day, Meda is put on a ship bound south for Athens, and Rhaskos never sees her again.

“The gods sent that child to punish me!” (p. 20) Actually, it is Lysandra, wife to Arkadios, an Athenian citizen and soldier, who is punishing that child. Slapped, pinched, and bruised by her 18-year-old mother, (retribution for being a daughter, and not a son), Melisto is spirited, rebellious, and defiant of her mother although adored by her father. Four year-old Melisto responds to Meda, the new nurse, now known as “Thratta”, (i.e. the Thracian). Bereft of her own child, Thratta becomes the mother Melisto does not have. As for Lysandra, when she was pregnant, Arkadios gave her a valuable necklace decorated with an amber sphinx. She prayed to Artemis, goddess of childbirth, Let me live, and I’ll give you the amber sphinx. (p. 30) Lysandra reneged on that promise, and the gods (and goddesses) always get their revenge.

After his mother’s exile, Rhaskos is now called “Thrax”, (i. e.“Thracian boy”) and, at age five, is put to work in the stables, picking up horse turds. It’s a disgusting job, but, over time, he graduates to grooming. He has an innate connection with the horses he tends, and, when he can, spends his spare moments working at drawing a horse, transforming the real animal into an artistic representation. His talent is mentored and supported by the god Hephaistos who promises to give Rhaskos “the best consolation a mortal can know: . . . I will give him the power to create. I will make him . . . a maker of beautiful things.” (p. 53)

Meanwhile, life is anything but beautiful for Melisto. One day, while following her mother up a flight of stairs, Melisto steps on the hem of Lysandra’s dress. There’s an “ugly snarl on her mother’s face as she whirled around, hand upraised. Lysandra had struck hard and on purpose, knocking Melisto backward into the empty air. Her mother had meant to hurt her” (p. 80) and breaks Melisto’s arm. The new doll Arkadios brings her is no consolation, but the story that the father tells of the night of Melisto’s birth, is. On the night of her birth, Arkadios has a terrible headache, as did the great god, Zeus, when his daughter, Athena, was born. Melisto is Arkadios’ “Athena”; the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena is also the patroness of the city-state of which Arkadios is a proud citizen and she is considered to be Zeus’ favourite child.

Rhaskos becomes the personal slave of Menon, the oldest son of his master, Alexidemus. As Menon’s slave, he owns a new tunic, washes every day, goes to “taverns and temples, and the market” (p. 99) and to the gymnasion where he carries Menon’s gear: weights, oil, discus, and the strigil with which he will scrape his new master clean after a work-out. He hero-worships Menon, and life is more comfortable, but his master can be cruel and is especially harsh when drunk. Life in Athens is getting harsh, too. Having lost the seemingly endless war with Sparta, the Athenian city-state is experiencing food shortages, plague, and civic violence. Spending most of her time with her mother in the family’s weaving room, Melisto is unaware of life outside her home and is, essentially, a captive in her father’s house.

However, escape is imminent. Melisto has reached the age where she will join others of her rank at Brauron outside the city of Athens, living as “Little Bears”, serving the goddess Artemis. It’s a very special sorority, selected by lottery from the top rank of Athenian society. Scholars really do not know much about the activities at Brauron, and, in one of his commentaries, Hermes states that “the girls came to Brauron, and acted like bears. How, you ask me? I don’t know. Nobody knows.” (p. 152) One spring morning, dressed in a yellow chiton, belted with a violet coloured sash (Athena’s colours), Melisto, after a solemn ceremony at the Temple of Artemis, heads off on a two-day walk to the Sanctuary of Artemis. Like the other girls, she also wears a saffron yellow cloak, a himation, representative of the Bear she will become, and she carries a special treasure from her mother: a gold and amber necklace to be offered to Artemis so that Lysandra’s pregnancy will be blessed by the birth of a son.
It’s not an easy hike, nor is it a fun camping trip, and upon settling down for her first sleep in Brauron, Melisto discovers that she has lost the necklace. Still, losses sometimes bring gains, and life in Brauron is perfect for Melisto. She makes friends, is praised for her skill at a loom, and is free from her mother’s persecution, although she does miss Thratta. She’s not especially keen on learning the Bear Dance, a sacred dance “composed of subtle gestures and circling steps, . . . the sequence was baffling.” (p. 189) But, when Melisto learns that an actual bear cub, captured by hunters is being held captive in the Brauron stables until its eventual sacrifice, she is drawn to the place, and the bear becomes the “brother she might be able to love.” (p. 191) She visits άρκτος (“bear”, in Greek) often, feeding it, watering it, playing and wrestling with it, and finally, when it is clear that the time has come for the bear’s sacrifice, she is determined to free it. As Melisto returns to the Brauron compound after being successful in her nighttime mission, a furious thunderstorm breaks, and a bolt of lightning strikes her. Was it Zeus? Was it Artemis, still angry about the necklace? The Sphinx, the ultimate poser of riddles, asks the question, but gives no answer.

The illustration for Exhibit 10 depicts a “curse” tablet, a slab of lead found near the grave of a female child. Because the ancient Greeks believed that girls who died without having given birth “could not or would not enter the underworld” (p. 221), their ghosts could be used for the casting of spells. Having prepared Melisto’s body for burial, Thratta knows the location of her gravesite, and, after pouring libations on the ground and placing a lead tablet into the loose earth, she prays to three gods. Hekate, goddess of magic and witchcraft; Hermes, the guide of travelers and souls; and Bendis, aThracian goddess equivalent to Artemis, are invoked and entreated to find the soul of Melisto which will be spell-bound to Thratta’s prayer that Rhaskos be set free. As Thratta turns away from the grave, the spirit of Melisto appears, and Thratta appeals to her once more. Then, Thratta leaves for the Athenian harbour of Piraeus, where she boards a ship bound for her homeland on the Black Sea. A storm arises, the ship capsizes, and Hermes heads down from Olympus, ready to usher her to Hades, when, unpredictable god that he is, he has an idea. As he grabs her hand, he uses his powers to transform her into a dolphin where she is free to frolic, “a free thing, seeking her playmates.” (p. 286) The Greek name “Meda” has several possible meanings, amongst them “cunning”, “prophetess”, and “the sea.” The transformation from human to dolphin seems particularly apt.

As for Rhaskos, obtaining his freedom takes him on a long and winding road. After several years of service, he accompanies Menon from Thessaly to Athens, and, although the sea voyage makes him ill, the distant view of Athens grips him. One dawn, while Menon is sleeping off yet another binge, Rhaskos heads for the Akropolis, stopping at its guarded gates. A red-haired, tattooed barbarian, he’ll be stopped and probably punished. Escaping down one side of the hill on which the building is situated, he loses his way and finds himself in a treed hollow where an ugly old man is dancing, naked. It is the philosopher Sokrates, and the two become friends. The philosopher senses that there’s more to this young man than would be expected of a slave. Of course, everyone who is anyone knows about Sokrates, and Menon has to meet him. The meeting takes place in a somewhat seedy gymnasion, and it begins when Menon asks Sokrates if άρετη (“arête”), goodness or excellence can be taught. In the course of their dialogue, Sokrates involves Rhaskos in a presentation which demonstrates Rhaskos’ innate knowledge of space and form. As master and slave depart, the following exchanges is overheard by the two: “For once, the slave came off better than his master. He was honest about what he didn’t know.” “Menon’s not the first to make a fool of himself in front of Sokrates. And he won’t be the last.” (p. 269) The next day, Rhaskos is sold at the slave market, his new master being a potter named Phaistus.

Phaistus has a shop, a donkey, another slave name Kranaos, and a wife named Zosima. She re-names Rhaskos as “Pyrrhos”, meaning “red-haired” or “flame-haired”, a name borne by “half the red-haired slaves in Athens.” (p. 280) Life at the shop isn’t easy, and Rhaskos spends his time wedging out clay and taking care of the donkey, Grau (“grey” in Greek). But, just as Rhaskos had a way with horses, he treats the donkey with care and respect, renaming her “Phoibe” (“shining”). Although Rhaskos doesn’t quite trust Zosima’s desperate need to mother him, she’s well-meaning, a woman who is childless after eight years of marriage.

Phaistus is a fair master, and, when the household sits down to eat, all share the same meal. No table scraps for Rhaskos and Kranaos, the elderly slave who loads the kilns. Despite Phaistus’ gruffness, Rhaskos comes to respect him, especially his talent at decoration and embellishment of clay items. The friendship with Sokrates continues, the greatest philosopher in Athens becoming an important mentor, always addressing the young man as Rhaskos. They have many differences, age and social rank being two, but Sokrates suggests that they “feel the pull of friendship. Perhaps it’s difference that makes friendship.” (p. 315) His life enriched by friendship and fair treatment, Rhaskos’ creativity develops, and one day, while continuing to draw horses, he has a moment where he senses the presence of Melisto. Then, Zosima appears, and, having seen the drawn horse, summons Phaistos. It is a transformative moment. From then on, Phaistos becomes his tutor, and, although Rhaskos is never praised, he receives Phaistos’ “full attention” (333). One day, after a confrontation between Kranaos and Rhaskos, Phaistos reveals a secret: he, too, was once a slave but was manumitted to a citizen protector.

What will happen to Rhaskos? One Athenian night, so hot that it is almost impossible to sleep, Rhaskos has a dream from the gods. Melisto appears to him, and he realizes that she has been a shadowy presence in his life, always “a glow like amber” (p. 375). In conversation with Sokrates, Rhaskos learns of the “daimon. . . a spirit, a kind of sign; it comes to me, and I have to pay attention” (p. 385), and he realizes that Melisto is his daimon. The dialogue with Sokrates is far-ranging, but, at the end of it, Rhaskos knows that he will become his own master and will buy his freedom through his mastery of clay. However, Sokrates has made enemies of powerful Athenians, and he is sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. As his friend, Rhaskos witnesses the philosopher’s death, more sadness ensues when, upon returning to Phaistos’ home, he learns that the death of Phaistos’ protector makes it likely that Rhaskos will once again be sold.

In despair, he heads for the stable for the companionable comfort of Phoibe. Suddenly, Melisto appears. She knows that Sokrates’ death has been heart-breaking for Rhaskos and that he is overwhelmed by a future of continued enslavement. Life as a shade hasn’t been easy for Melisto who is not ready to depart for Hades but is no longer of this world, either. She has a plan. They leave Athens for Brauron, sharing their stories along the road, both of them seeking freedom. They are true soul-mates; Rhaskos observes that “she was more like me than anyone I ever knew.” (p. 484) Close to Brauron, Melisto finds the amber and gold pendant that she lost before reaching the Sanctuary of Artemis, gives it to Rhaskos, and then, she turns and bolts towards the sea, just as she did when she first felt the heat of the lightning bolt. After four more days’ journey, Rhaskos reaches the house of Arkadios and, knowing the secret story of Melisto’s birth, that Arkadios said, “This child will be my Athena.” (p. 508), Rhaskos convinces him. The penultimate illustration, Exhibit 17, is a fragment of marble with a manumission inscription. Rhaskos is free, free from slavery and free to be the artist who may be the Horse Painter.

What an extraordinary story! It was impossible for me to write a short review because this is an ambitious work, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Enslavement is a state of degradation, but ancient Greek society depended upon it and accepted it. As 21st century readers, we might find this idea uncomfortable, but that was the attitude of the time. Still, the novel makes clear the degree to which enslavement destroys a human being’s sense of self. Women in that society, well-born or not, also had little freedom; their primary role was to produce children and raise them. Philosophy, debate, public service, and exercise at the gymnasion were for men. As readers of this historical novel, we meet people, some of whom were real, such as Sokrates (and in this book, we learn that most of us have been mispronouncing his name) and some of whom are imaginary. But, the circumstances of the time in which they lived are real, and upon finishing this book, the reader has a new perspective on Athenian life during the fifth century BCE. Buildings, temples, statuary and ceramic vessels are the artistic heritage of Classical Greek civilization. Beautiful as these artifacts may be, they came at a cost of human labour and undoubtedly, the human spirit.

Although the intended audience of Amber & Clay is ages 10-14, I think that only an extremely capable and motivated 10-year-old would persevere with it. It’s not difficult reading at all – Hermes was right about that - but there is literary complexity (prose, blank verse, multiple narrative voices) that demands a great deal of focus. On quick perusal, it could be intimidating. The reader doesn’t need to know much about the Greek gods nor about the civilization of the time, but that knowledge certainly helps. In the “Author’s Notes”, Schlitz has provided excellent background material, but I wonder how many young readers bother to read the content beyond the end of a narrative. I found that, after reading the “Author’s Notes”, much more became clear, and my second and third readings of the novel were deeply enriched by that information.

With strong male and female protagonists, I think that Amber & Clay is a book that will appeal to readers of both genders. I think that it will be best appreciated by readers who are 14 and up. This “tale of a girl as precious as amber, the tale of a boy as common as clay.” (p. 2) is definitely a worthwhile acquisition for the fiction collections of both middle and high school libraries, although I think that it’s more likely to find readers in a high school. Those who like mythology and fantasy will find it an engaging read.