Uprooted

Uprooted is both a fantasy novel that reimagines and expands upon several Polish folktales and a coming-of-age story for the protagonist, Agnieszka. Fantasy novels are typified by their inclusion of magic, magical creatures, and/or imaginative fictional worlds. Uprooted includes all of these elements, including a fictional kingdom called Polnya, the existence of magical creatures, and classic fantasy character types such as wizards and heroic princes.

Uprooted also engages with a contemporary trend of retelling classic fairy tales and folktales. Some retellings adhere closely to the source material, such as Robin McKinley’s novels Beauty (based upon Beauty and the Beast) and Deerskin (based upon the Perault fairy tale “Donkeyskin”). Others, like Naomi Novik’s popular novel Spinning Silver (2018), inspired by the tale of Rumpelstiltskin, elaborately reimagine the source material. Still others take the core elements and spin them into completely new genres, such as Marissa Meyer’s popular Lunar Chronicles series, which gives a science fiction/dystopian spin to the fairy tales of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. Uprooted draws on several Slavic fairy tales but does not adhere particularly closely to any of them.

Lastly, Uprooted is also a coming-of-age novel. A coming-of-age story follows a young protagonist as they face difficulties, find their place in society, and reach emotional maturity. Early coming-of-age novels often followed male protagonists. However, in modern fiction, including modern fantasy (another traditionally “male” genre), female coming-of-age stories are common. Often, such novels engage with gender norms, following a young woman who does not fit into traditional society and must forge her own path or role to grow and find happiness. This is the case with Agnieszka, whose insecurity about her looks and demeanor contributes to the novel’s exploration of Overcoming Envy to Reach Self-Acceptance.