Fable

“The shine of sunlight on silver scales glittered above me as more fish came down to feed, and I looked up, squinting against the glare. Floating in the murky distance down the reef, a body drifted beneath the surface. The remains of a dredger who’d crossed someone or didn’t repay a debt.”

The author uses juxtaposition to contrast the reef’s beauty with the violent nature of life on Jeval. The alliteration in “shine of sunlight on silver scales” creates a serene mood, and the imagery of the glittering light accentuates the scene’s natural beauty. The description of the corpse is a fragment, mirroring how the dredger’s life was cut short. These literary devices help Young’s audience better understand both the majestic maritime setting and the dangers facing the protagonist.

“Keep your knife where you can reach it.

Never, ever owe anyone anything.

Nothing is free.

Always construct a lie from a truth.

Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you.”

The italicization and formatting of this list set Saint’s rules apart from the rest of the text to emphasize how deeply they’re ingrained in the protagonist. The rules keep Fable alive on Jeval, but they conflict with her personal desires over the course of the novel. The fifth rule, which forbids revealing “what or who matters to you” proves especially contentious as Fable falls in love with West. This tension develops the theme of The Perils of Attachment Versus the Need for Belonging.

“Miles away, where the moonlight touched the black seam of the horizon, the Lark lay beneath the waters of Tempest Snare. And no matter where I went, I’d never get home. Because home was a ship that was at the bottom of the sea, where my mother’s bones lay sleeping.”

Fragments break up this passage to illustrate how Fable’s family is broken after the Lark sinks. The repetition of the word “home” underlines her yearning for what she has lost and advances the theme of the need for belonging. This passage also contains the first mention of Tempest Snare, which offers foreshadowing about the death of Fable’s mother and Fable’s eventual return to the treacherous region.

“The long days on the deck of the ship had painted his skin the deepest olive, making his eyes look like the jadeite my mother used to have me polish after her dives.”

West’s introduction fulfills conventions for young adult love stories through the detailed descriptions of his handsome appearance. The simile comparing West’s eyes to “the jadeite [Fable’s] mother used to have [her] polish after her dives” hints that there is a special connection between West and Fable because the sight of him recalls a memory of her beloved mother. Clues and conventions like these foreshadow the characters’ romantic relationship.

“‘Fable!’ Koy growled behind me, his voice like thunder.”

The simile that likens Koy’s voice to “thunder” and the diction of the precise verb “growled” underline his menace toward Fable. Storms are a classic example of how authors use the macrocosm of nature to reflect the microcosm of a character’s experience. In this instance, the literal storm gathering in this chapter builds suspense and underlines the deadly danger Fable will be in unless West accepts her as a passenger.

“I’d been asleep on my father’s ship when I heard the sharp ring of the bell echo out into the night. Only a few minutes later, the loud crack of the mast and the howl of an angry wind was followed by screaming. […] The night the Lark sank. The night my mother died. And in a single moment, everything changed. The next day, he left me behind on Jeval.”

Auditory imagery, such as “the sharp ring of the bell,” shows how the details of the night the Lark sank are imprinted on Fable’s memory and represent an unresolved source of trauma for her. The onomatopoeia and personification in the phrase “the howl of an angry wind” add to the fearful mood of the scene by depicting the natural elements as dangerous entities with emotions and wills of their own.

“The rhythm of crewing a ship was like a melody I’d known my whole life and had only been able to hum to myself for the last four years. In only a few short days, we’d make port in Ceros, and I’d have my chance to finally take my place on Saint’s ship the way my mother had. The way I was born to.”

The musical simile that compares the “rhythm of crewing a ship” to “a melody [Fable had] known [her] whole life” evokes the sense of harmony the protagonist feels onboard the Marigold. The narrator’s positive tone in this passage speaks to the theme of belonging and foreshadows the crew becoming her found family. In addition, the repetition of “the way” in the last two sentences links Fable’s goal of joining her father to her mother’s experiences on Saint’s crew, which emphasizes the significance the protagonist places on familial legacy.

“‘When are you going to start trusting me, Willa?’ Her eyes snapped up then, filled with fire. ‘When you stop treating me like the Waterside stray you used to steal food for.’ He stepped back, as if the distance would ease the weight of her words. But it didn’t. They hung between them like the stench of a rotting corpse. Something never forgotten.”

The simile comparing Willa’s words to “the stench of a rotting corpse” reminds the reader that Fable, West, and Willa all lead harsh, violent lives. This figure of speech and the characters’ argument offer clues that West and Willa are siblings and that he has killed for her.

“The sea calmed around us, the quiet that hit right before a storm conjuring an eerie silence as the man looked up to Willa with pleading eyes. She drew in a deep breath, her hands unclenching before she gave a quick nod, pulling the adze from her belt. Auster and Paj took hold of the lid, securing it back into place and the man’s muted screams disappeared as Willa took a nail from the purse at her belt.”

The author uses auditory imagery to build tension in this scene: The vivid descriptions of “the quiet that hit right before the storm,” “eerie silence,” and “muted screams” create an atmosphere of suspense and hushed horror. The repeated references to quiet in this passage reflect the many secrets that Fable and the reader have yet to learn about the Marigold’s crew. Additionally, the adze that Willa uses to imprison Crane in the box that becomes his coffin is the same tool she uses as a bosun. This reinforces her position among the Marigold’s crew members and the deadly lengths they’re willing to go to out of loyalty to one another.

“Over the stern, I could see the clouds rolling over the sea toward us. Hungry. I closed my eyes and drew the humid air into my chest. I’d spent my childhood in the face of storms just like her, many of them angrier than this one. […] It was terrifying, but familiar. It was as beautiful as it was deadly.”

The adjectives “[h]ungry” and “angrier” personify the approaching storm, building up the danger facing Fable and West’s crew. The similar structure of the last two sentences has an almost melodic quality, and the contrasting pairs of adjectives, such as “terrifying” and “familiar,” underscore Fable’s courage and lifelong knowledge of the sea. These qualities befit her role as the hero of a maritime adventure novel.

“A look like thunder after a lightning strike lit on his face. Fear wound around every inch of his body and squeezed, and the feel of his hands on me sent a chill up my spine. There was something knowing in the way he looked at me. Something that pulled at the knots in the net of lies we’d both told.”

Young frequently uses storms to advance the plot and describe the characters’ emotions. In this passage, the literal storm raging around Fable and West illuminates the characters’ inner conflict and the budding romance between them. The simile comparing West’s expression to “thunder after a lightning strike” betrays his intense fear of losing Fable. The metaphor of the unraveling “net of lies” highlights the characters’ desire to build an honest and genuine relationship together.

“There’d be no more early mornings on the cliffs of Jeval, watching for the Marigold’s sails on the horizon. No more ferries on Speck’s boat with pyre heavy on my belt, and never again would I see West waiting at the end of the dock for me. My stomach wavered, making me feel sick. I didn’t like the idea of never seeing him again. And I didn’t like that I felt that way.”

Fable’s repetition of “no more” emphasizes her melancholy and reluctance as she prepares to say goodbye to West, perhaps forever. The description of how her “stomach wavered” indicates her powerful yet undefined feelings toward him.

“The sound of wild dogs barking and babies crying echoed through the narrow street, and I pulled my map out again, trying to get my bearings. It looked the same as it did four years ago, except there was more of everything—mud, people, refuse. And with the walls of buildings pulling up around you, you could hardly see the sky overhead.”

The passage bombards the reader with a cacophony of auditory, olfactory, and visual imagery to develop the destitute setting of Waterside. The high walls that make it so people “could hardly see the sky overhead” create a claustrophobic, oppressive atmosphere. Waterside’s constant darkness and inescapable stench help the author convey the crushing poverty of its residents, giving the readers a sense of West and Willa’s bleak childhoods.

“Another cry slipped from my lips, and I covered my face with my hands, humiliated. I’d crossed the Narrows for a man who’d probably never even loved me. For a dream that would never come true. And in that moment, I had no idea why I’d ever believed it could.”

Fable’s first conversation with her father in four years marks a turning point for the plot and forces the protagonist to find a new source of belonging and another way to carry on her family’s legacy. The passage ends in fragments to show how the narrator is shattered by her father’s determination to send her away and the ensuing fear that he “probably never even loved [her].”

“‘I sat on the cliffs above the beach on Jeval every night, imagining the sails of my father’s ship on the horizon. Hoping he’d come back for me.’ I paused. ‘He didn’t—you did.’”

Fable’s varied sentence structure illustrates her movement from clinging to dreams to accepting reality. The first sentence is long and filled with descriptive flourishes to illustrate the protagonist’s beautiful daydream of her father rescuing her from Jeval. On the other hand, the last sentence is short and staccato with two-word clauses joined by a dash to represent the bluntness of reality. Now that Fable understands who deserves her trust, she’s ready to let go of her goal of working alongside her father and establish a partnership with West.

“I thought I’d stood on the decks of the Marigold for the last time, but now, this ship would become my home. This crew would become my family. And like the turn of the wind before the most unpredictable of storms, I could feel that everything was about to change.”

The repetition of the verb phrase “would become” fosters a hopeful mood while the references to “home” and “family” advance the theme of belonging. The simile about “the turn of the wind” reveals that the protagonist is keenly aware of the important changes occurring in her life because the wind governs seafarers’ lives and can mean the difference between life and death.

“I could feel Zola’s eyes on us at the docks. He wasn’t stupid, and we weren’t rid of the Luna’s crew yet. They turned up at every tavern we drank at, their footsteps following ours on the bridges and in the alleyways. He was waiting for our next move.”

Young creates an atmosphere of suspense and surveillance through the descriptions of the “footsteps following” the Marigold’s crews and of “Zola’s eyes” upon them. This diction foreshadows Zola’s attempt to set the ship ablaze as well as Fable’s abduction at the end of the novel.

“In another two days, the Marigold would be anchored in Tempest Snare, and we’d be bringing in the haul that would buy us out of West’s debt to Saint. The crew would be free to scrape the crest off the floor of the helmsman’s quarters, and for the first time, the Marigold would be beholden to no one.”

The author expresses Fable’s excitement and hope through words like “free” and “beholden to no one.” Her mental image of the crew performing the symbolic action of erasing her father’s crest from “the floor of the helmsman’s quarters” further reinforces the theme of The Quest for Autonomy.

“The hiss and snap of the mussels adhered to the ship clicked around us, and I took the place beside West, fitting the scraper against the thick crust of barnacles and hitting it with the mallet. It broke into pieces, erupting in a white cloud before drifting down into the deep below us.”

The onomatopoeia of the “hiss and snap of the mussels” helps to immerse the reader in the scene. The level of detail the author puts into describing these sights and sounds reflects this moment’s significance to the main character. By joining West in this difficult and undesirable task, she demonstrates that she cares about him in defiance of her father’s warnings about the perils of attachment.

“West guided the ship straight into the Snare, and silence fell, a chill running over my skin like the buzz in the air before lightning struck. Tempest Snare had taken more ships than anyone knew. In the distance, more than one mast breeched the water. But the sky was still clear, the movement of the water calm.”

Tempest Snare is one of the most important settings in the novel. Young creates suspense through the simile comparing the chill Fable feels to “the buzz in the air before lightning struck” and through the descriptions of the wrecked vessels. The juxtaposition of the calm waters and what lies beneath them underscores the protagonist’s fraught emotions toward this place.

“She sat below us, the split in the hull half buried in the pale, soft sand, and the bow of the ship pointing to the sky. But the rest of the ship looked just as I remembered it. The Lark. The place where my mother’s story ended. The place where mine began.”

The last two fragments begin with the phrase “The place where,” which is an example of anaphora. This technique adds to the lyrical nature of Young’s prose and accentuates the importance of the Lark to the protagonist’s characterization. Fable’s reflections on the ship and her “mother’s story” speak to The Significance of Familial Legacy. The idea that Fable’s story began on the Lark carries multiple layers of meaning. In the literal sense, she spent the first 14 years of her life aboard the ship. In another sense, her story as an autonomous individual distinct from her family began with the traumatic shipwreck. In a more positive light, Fable’s story begins there because the wreckage holds the possibility of rebirth: If this mission succeeds, she and the Marigold’s crew will have the means to begin a new life.

“Because that kiss broke open some dark night sky within me filled with stars and moons and flaming comets. That darkness was replaced by the blazing fire of the sun racing under my skin. Because the most deeply buried truth, hidden beneath everything my father taught me, was that I had wanted to touch West a thousand times.”

Although Fable demonstrates an affinity for imagery and similes throughout the novel, the language in this passage is much more ornate and abstract than her usual narration. These stylistic differences help to convey the powerful emotions she feels when she and West kiss for the first time. The “dark night sky” serves as a metaphor for her trauma and loneliness while “the blazing fire of the sun” represents love. Significantly, Young sets this moment of connection and healing inside the Lark because its wreck ended the protagonist’s happy childhood.

“What he was saying—the things he told me—was his way of showing me he trusted me. It was also his way of giving me the match. If I wanted to, I could burn him down. But if we were going to do this, I would have to be his safe harbor and he would have to be mine.”

In this passage, Fable uses two contrasting metaphors to describe her relationship with West. Both characters know that vulnerability can be as dangerous as a lit match, but their trust empowers them to become each other’s “safe harbor.” The tension between these analogies reflects the characters’ hazardous maritime world and advances the theme of the perils of attachments versus the need for belonging.