''Clay's Way'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to ...

of American writer

Blair Mastbaum Blair Mastbaum (born January 24, 1979) is an American writer and a former model who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Mastbaum fabricated a series of stories published by Atlas Obscura. The articles were retracted after investigations found plagiari ...

. Released in 2004 by Alyson Books, this contemporary novel, which won the

Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction The Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a debut work of fiction on LGBT themes. Formerly presented in two separate categories for gay male and lesbian debut fiction, be ...

, follows 15-year-old gay

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. ...

Sam and the object of his affection, conflicted surfer Clay around Honolulu.

Reception

Poet and novelist

Trebor Healey Trebor Healey is an American poet and novelist. He was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and studied English and American Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He spent his twenties in San Francisco, where he was act ...

called ''Clay's Way'' "a brilliantly raw and insightful coming-of-age story for a new queer generation" and concluded as "a coming of age novel, it hits pay dirt because, instead of a happy ending, it ends on a note of expansion: Something has happened to Sam that, after the smoke has cleared, causes him to look up at the sky and realize he's no longer Sam the kid, but Sam the man." ''

The Gay & Lesbian Review ''The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide'' (formerly ''The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review'') is a bimonthly, nationally distributed magazine of history, culture, and politics for LGBT people and their allies who are interested in the gamut of social, ...

'' found it an "impressive comic debut novel" and that "Mastbaum’s quirky narrator and comic verve propel the reader through this story of painful yet instructive young love made art for readers of all ages."

References

2004 American novels Lambda Literary Award-winning works Gay male teen fiction American LGBT novels Novels set in Hawaii LGBT-related young adult novels 2004 debut novels 2004 LGBT-related literary works {{2000s-LGBT-novel-stub