boy made of clay (golem)

I read a fantasy book (not YA, maybe part of a series,maybe 20 years ago?) with a boy who was made of clay. I don't think he was ever called a golem. He lived in a family as a brother, and developed his own sentient sense of self. He may have been a stand-in for the real brother. He chose to "die" to save his sister, but some of his essential self remained and "grew back". I don't remember much of the rest of the story at the moment, just the feeling of sadness connected to the loss of the boy. Any leads would be much appreciated, as I have an interest in stories with golem mythology.

Not your book, but to feed your interest, there's a little bit of golem stuff in the novel Snow in August by Pete Hammill.

Probably not The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon but it features a golem creation as well.

Lots of golem related stories in Piers Anthony's Xanth novels.

Yeah...but I think the puns would have stood out in the OP's memory. There's some good stories, very rich, in Xanth... but the overall impression is very much comedy and wordplay (at least, to me).

jjmcgaffey, i know that, i was going along with the theme of the other posts regarding OTHER golem stories.

OK. Hope someone can come up with the right one! I'm drawing a complete blank.

The 'boy made of clay' is stirring something in my memory, from a blurb I read a long, long time ago. Anyway, I think it might be from a book by James Branch Cabell. I don't know which though.

I really appreciate the new titles to consider. Thank you! I am still hoping to bring the title to the surface, so any suggestions or guesses would be helpful.

I found the book I was looking for. It is The Changeling by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, part of The Fey series, and the boy was a changeling made from a stone, not a golem after all. Similar idea. Thanks again for your help.

I'm glad your answer! I've been wondering about this one.