The Borrible Trilogy - The World of The Borribles

The World of The Borribles

The trilogy is set in the large city of London. Borribles are runaway children, who eventually become "borribled," when they wake up and find their ears have become pointed. Visually very similar to the mischievous elves and pixies of English folklore, Borribles wear woolen hats pulled low over their ears to avoid being easily identified by the police "Woolies". The woolies believe that the Borribles' freedom is a threat to the social order and will clip the ears of any Borrible in their custody. If their ears are not clipped, Borribles will maintain the appearance of a child forever and cease to physically age. Being caught by the police is a prospect worse than death for Borribles as it will signify the end of their lifestyle and they will become a boring, adventureless adult.

Borribles are skinny, scruffy, and tough; at least at first they appear to have nothing to do with money, and steal what they need to survive. They generally live in abandoned houses, though they will live wherever they can, existing on the edge of the adult world. Borribles aren't given their names at birth; they earn them through an adventure of some sort.

They have many saying and practices such as "Fruit of the barrow is enough for the Borrible," "Never stand behind a door when there's someone coming through the other side," "It is sad to pass through life without one good adventure," and "It is better to die young than to be caught."

In the trilogy, the neat, orderly and boring adult world positioned in direct contrast to the wild, scruffy world of the Borribles. Along with structure and organization, materialism is heavily derided; the Borribles have fulfilling existences despite their lack of possessions, while those who crave material wealth are inevitably presented as villains. Comradeship and cooperation are also presented as highly laudable traits - the Borribles will go to any length and take any risk in order to protect one of their own. Though written as young adult fiction, the books deal with themes, such as debate over what causes are noble enough to die for and which aren't.

How long Borribles can live is never made quite clear. One character in The Borribles speaks of having been Borribled in the time of "the old queen" (although it is unclear whether this refers to Victoria or Elizabeth I). Furthermore, although Borribles do not age physically, the wisdom they gain through their way of life and, in some cases, extreme old age, is often foregrounded in the books. Borribles are stated throughout the books to live forever. It is inferred that only the most cunning survive for excessively long periods of time.