Fable

The novel’s first section introduces the audience to Fable and the treacherous world of the Narrows. The novel’s setting and conflicts both fit into the maritime adventure genre. Young depicts Jeval, “the infamous island of thieves” (8), as a place where people are locked in a ruthless battle for survival. On top of her interpersonal conflicts with characters like Koy, Fable experiences person versus nature conflict. In Chapter 3, she observes, “It was unnerving to see the sea asleep when I’d seen how bloodthirsty she could be” (19). The mercurial nature of the sea and the weather are classic sources of suspense and conflict in maritime fiction, and this instance of personification emphasizes the ocean’s unpredictability. Another generic trait of adventure novels is action. Young builds suspense in these chapters through the fight scenes and chase scenes with Koy. Young portrays the man as someone desperate to provide for his family rather than someone who is simply greedy or cruel. Later in the series, Koy becomes Willa’s love interest, and this development illustrates how Young populates her gritty world with complex characters rather than irredeemable villains and immaculate heroes. Young uses literary techniques and conventions to craft a suspenseful maritime adventure.

Fable’s traits befit her role as the protagonist of an adventure novel, but she also struggles not to let her ruthless world define her. Young quickly establishes the teenager’s courage, resourcefulness, and resilience, qualities that she develops while fending for herself for four years. For example, she finds a clever hiding place for her money: “Most dredgers were too heavy to climb out onto the spindly tree without the branches cracking and sending them to their death” (12). The harshness of life on Jeval pushes Fable to turn even things that might seem like weaknesses, such as her comparatively small size, into strengths. However, as cutthroat as her world is, she defies its efforts to turn her into yet another violent person who cares only for her own survival. The clearest proof of this is her impulsive decision to save Koy’s life after he tries to kill her: “I should have left him. Should have let him drown in the darkness. Why hadn’t I? You weren’t made for this world, Fable” (31). The rough realities of life on Jeval hone the protagonist’s resilience and cleverness but fail to extinguish her compassion.

The Quest for Autonomy plays a central role in Fable’s motivation at the start of the novel. Finances are closely tied to freedom in Young’s world, and Fable spends years laboring to earn the money she needs to escape Jeval, which she views as her “prison.” Significantly, autonomy requires cooperation rather than strict independence in this story. This is partly due to the novel’s world-building. Travel is based around seafaring, and it takes a crew to sail a ship. Because Fable needs the Marigold’s help to achieve her goal of finding her father, she must prove that she can be a valuable part of the crew even if she expects the arrangement to be temporary. This view of autonomy helps to explain Fable’s decision to accept Paj’s challenge in Chapter 8: “Four years on Jeval and this close to Ceros, I almost drowned on a dive for a single copper. But that was one of Saint’s rules. Nothing is free” (68). Fable knows that the quest for autonomy is a perilous journey and one that she cannot make alone, so she decides that a show of strength and skill is the best way to safeguard herself and her goals. As the novel continues, Fable discovers that West and his crew are also fighting for their freedom, and they aid one another in this struggle.

The theme of The Perils of Attachment Versus the Need for Belonging complicates Fable’s relationships. The protagonist’s worldview is shaped by her father’s rules, especially the fifth one: “Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you” (9). It’s important to note that Saint’s rules arise from the real dangers of life in the Narrows rather than mere paranoia or cynicism. Fable’s reflection on Koy’s family situation serves to illustrate these perils: “Being responsible for someone else was the greatest curse on Jeval, out on the sea, even in the Narrows. The only safety that existed was in being completely alone” (26). Her grim assessment of attachments seems vindicated when, driven by his desperation to provide for his grandmother and siblings, Koy attempts to rob and murder her. Saint’s rules govern Fable’s life and keep her alive on Jeval, but they also keep her isolated. To find meaningful relationships and true belonging, she must deconstruct her father’s lessons.

Fable’s connections with Saint and Isolde develop The Significance of Familial Legacy. She carries on her mother’s legacy by becoming a dredger, and her mother’s lessons about gemstones help her to survive on and ultimately escape the island of Jeval. At the same time, Fable is denied the fullness of her family legacy because Saint refuses to acknowledge her: “There was only one promise he had ever asked me to make […] I was to never tell a single soul that I was his daughter” (74). Although this promise is ostensibly for her protection, there is a stark contrast between Saint’s infamous wealth and power and the hardships his unacknowledged daughter endures. Familial legacy also factors into Fable’s single-minded determination to “find Saint and make him keep his promise” (8). In a later section, Young reveals that Fable expects to join her father’s trading empire and work alongside him. As the novel continues, Fable learns more about her parents’ legacy and re-envisions how she will carry it on.

The novel’s motifs begin to take shape in these chapters. The Lark functions as a motif for the theme of belonging. Four years after the shipwreck, she still thinks of the vessel as her home: “The place I belonged was gone” (16). The loss of her mother and her childhood home in one night deeply impacts the protagonist’s characterization, leaving her traumatized and isolated. Eventually, the protagonist finds healing and a new home aboard the Marigold. Young advances the theme of family legacy using “the thickly roped scar that [Saint] carved into [her] arm” (48), which is later revealed to be a map to the Lark’s wreckage. In addition, Chapter 5 contains the first mentions of Willa’s “jeweled dagger,” which emerges as a motif of the perils of attachment and impacts the plot in the next section.

Young’s use of foreshadowing enhances the story’s suspense and romance. For example, the reader later learns that Fable’s remarkable ability “to listen to the gems” is a rare trait she inherited from her mother (6). In Chapter 9, Fable observes, “Whoever West was, he had at least one powerful friend” (76). This offers a clue that West works for Saint. As is conventional in young adult fiction, the novel has a love story. West grants Fable passage on his ship even though this angers his crew, foreshadowing both that he knows she’s Saint’s daughter and that he’s secretly in love with her. In Chapter 7, Fable reflects, “Something had made him take the copper and go against his crew. Something changed his mind. Really, I didn’t care what it was” (59). Her narration hints at the spark between her and West even though she is careful not to examine her feelings too closely. As the story goes on, Fable unravels the mysterious helmsman’s secrets as well as her complex emotions toward him.