Culture Writer Megan Hughes reviews Clare Pollard’s The Untameables, praising the book’s ecological focus and satirical storytelling
What if the myths were recorded wrong and those we thought of as heroes were simply villains with the power to control the narrative to their own ends? This is the question that Clare Pollard’s The Untameables asks its readers.
The book follows two humble protagonists who live in Camelot: Roan (a dog keeper and protector of animals) and Elva (an intelligent girl mocked for having curvature of the spine). Though Arthur’s court sees these two children as nobodies at best and lesser than human at worst, these children have lofty ambitions. They want to find the holy grail before the bloodthirsty knights of Arthur’s court do, and use it for its legendary healing powers. However, throughout their quest, Roan and Elva discover that the wild folk of the woods and beyond are not so monstrous as they have been made out to be, and are instead simply cautious of human ignorance and cruelty. They must realign their priorities and help to reverse the effects of the evil Merlin’s hunger for power.
Although The Untameables is a children’s book, it still captivated me as an adult reader
Although The Untameables is a children’s book, it still captivated me as an adult reader. Pollard uses her fantastical tale to write satire on a scale that is still accessible for younger readers. The story reads as an ode to ecology, reminiscing on the innate magical powers of botanicals to heal and entrance but also reminding us of our responsibility to the land in a world of human avarice, climate change, and deforestation.
The story reads as an ode to ecology
Another theme in The Untameables which deserves a mention is Pollard’s discussion of masculinity. Our male protagonist Roan is best described as an empath: he is like a magnet for other people’s emotions, feeling them deeply and intimately. However, he is well aware of the danger that comes with displaying these emotions as a boy in a court full of proud men: ‘These men think crying is pathetic.’ Over the course of the novel, however, Roan is taught by Elva and other characters that to cry is to stand in solidarity against injustice. Most of the male characters in Pollard’s books are hunters: of greed, profit, and prey (by which I mean anything that moves, including women). However, Roan is a positive contrast to this vision of masculinity, with Elva reminding him that if he (a young, impressionable boy) can look past what society tells him a man is and instead forge his own path of masculinity, then there is still hope in the world. There is power in being untameable.
The Untameables is a quaintly illustrated and ironically funny tale
All in all, The Untameables is a quaintly illustrated and ironically funny tale. Pollard crafts a reminder that when people prioritise profit over everything else, it makes the whole world harder to live in – which will eventually catch up with those who believe themselves unaffected by the consequences of their actions. The story ends with optimism and self-acceptance, urging the reader to find their own version of Elva and Roan’s quest to make the world a better place, no matter how insurmountable that mission might feel. As Pollard reminds us: ‘This is a land where there is still enchantment.’
(The Untameables is published by The Emma Press and is available to order.)
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