The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (book review).
Words change. Sometimes it is their recognised meaning, as with ‘gay’, and sometimes their spelling. The word ‘gramyre’ evolved into ‘grammar’, although the two now have very different connotations. ‘Gramyre’ is another word for magic. Some might consider grammar to be the magic that gives sentences their order. Sometimes it is simply the way people say or hear a particular word that encourages its evolution.
This award-winning novella, The River Has Roots, has magic at its roots, much like the willow trees growing along the River Liss. From the beginning, the reader is told that the river is brimming with grammar. The local people know this to be true. To them, the word means magic, especially as the river’s source lies in Arcadia, the realm of the fae.
The River Has Roots concerns two sisters who live on the banks of the River Liss. Their family owns the land surrounding it on both sides, beginning at the point where two ancient trees lean over the water, their branches and roots intertwined. They care for the willows growing along the banks.
The family makes its living from the materials the willows provide, and part of their husbandry involves singing to the trees. This helps the river imbue the willows with the magic that makes their wares so highly prized.
The elder sister, Esther, has two suitors. Samuel Pollard is a local man whose family also trades in goods made from willow, although his trees do not grow beside the Liss. He does not understand the added quality that the river’s magic gives to the wood.
Her second suitor is Rin, a fae from Arcadia. It is Pollard’s jealousy that provides the pivot of the story, as everything else follows from his actions.
This is a fairy tale in the traditional sense. It is also a story about the love shared by two sisters and the importance of keeping promises.
The interior illustrations by Kathleen Neely have the quality of woodcuts and complement the text beautifully.
The book also contains a short story, John Hollowback And The Witch. It tells of John visiting a witch and asking her to mend the hollow that has formed in his back. As the story unfolds, the reasons for his misfortune are gradually revealed.
It offers a taste of the kind of storytelling to be expected in Amal El-Mohtar’s next collection, Seasons Of Glass And Iron: Stories.
Pauline Morgan
July 2026
(pub: Arcadia/Quercus Books, 2025. 129-page hardback. Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-52944-336-3)
check out website: www.quercusbooks.co.uk
