Low fantasy is a literary genre in which fantastical or supernatural elements are presented as parts of a broadly realistic world (often the real world), as opposed to high fantasy, where entire imaginary realms and magical elements are constructed. The bildungsroman, meanwhile, is a coming-of-age narrative that traces a protagonist’s psychological and moral growth from youth into maturity. When combined, low fantasy and the bildungsroman allow authors to externalize internal development: Magical elements often function as symbolic challenges that mirror the protagonist’s emotional or social struggles. In such works, growing up is about learning to navigate complex realities of adulthood like identity, loss, and responsibility, and these complexities are heightened by the narrative’s extraordinary elements. For example, Natalie Babbitt’s 1975 novel Tuck Everlasting takes place in the 19th-century United States but uses the conceit of the fountain of youth to explore its young protagonist’s evolving understanding of life’s purpose.

In The Scorpio Races, fantasy is confined to the capaill uisce on Thisby, and the water horses are themselves integrated into the book’s realism: The island’s residents build traditions, festivals, and economic structures around them. Within this setting, the novel functions as a bildungsroman, exploring the growth and development of both Puck and Sean. Puck’s decision to enter the races begins her change from dependent younger sister to self-reliant young woman. The magical danger of the water horses externalizes the risk of adulthood, as she is forced to deal with financial insecurity, loss, and independence. Similarly, Sean begins to change as he recognizes his unhappiness under Benjamin Malvern’s authority and his need for autonomy and freedom. For both, the answer to their problems lies in the Scorpio Races, as the capaill uisce become a catalyst for their maturation. By embedding the protagonists’ development within this world, the novel uses fantasy to intensify and illuminate the challenges of growing up.