House of Clay ~ Naomi Nowak

Naomi Nowak’s second graphic novel is an intriguing little volume. Josephine or Posy, as she likes to be called, comes from a once wealthy family. Her overly critical parents send her to a sweatshop so she can earn money for nursing school even though she faints at the sight of blood. During her stay at the “House of Cotton” Posy meets a mute girl and a psychic who’s little dog finds Posy at just the right moments. The fantastical illustrations Nowak creates are in integral part of the plot of this ethereal coming of age novel. I wanted to like the book more than I did at first, but the longer the book sits on the desk next to me, the more I’m drawn to re-reading it and looking at the images more carefully. For more about Nowak, including more examples of her artwork, check out her blog. There was also an interview with her in Publisher’s Weekly.