Austin Chant

Peter Pan returns to Neverland after a 10 year absence, and finds that the Lost Boys have made a truce with Captain Hook, but he is there to make trouble so he stirs up a renewed war with Hook.

The twist to this version of the story is that the reason Peter Pan goes to Neverland is that he is transgender. In the "real" world, his family call him Wendy and insist that he act like a girl, so he escapes to Neverland so that he can be his true self. I thought that was an interesting take on the character.... but then things get squicky when Peter Pan and Hook fall in love. Despite Chant's best efforts to describe Hook as a dandy of indeterminate age, I just couldn't help picture anything but a dirty old man and it felt pretty gross.… (more)

In some ways this is a five-star story; who the protagonists are, and why they do what they do, are compelling. The prose is almost dream-like, often very evocative. I'm not sorry I read it, not at all. That would be like resenting the weight of a snow globe that's entertained me with its pretty, glittery scene. Where the narrative fell short for me was the climax. It felt more dreamlike than served the events, easing me through so that all of what followed took too long. I left the book with a shrug rather than a smile.

But I love the messages this book offers. Some of us struggle to be who we really are, and measure our success by not drawing attention to ourselves. So, to be seen and yet accepted without question? That is rare and wonderful. Sometimes being visibly very different is good, sometimes bad. Grief tangles everything up. Grief and obsession can become poison. These themes aren't new, but I do love what the author did with them. If you need a fairly gentle take on these themes, try this book.… (more)

I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't usually enjoy fairy tales and never did care for Peter Pan. Keep that in mind as you read this.

I was bored for some of the story. That's me, not necessarily the book. Peter Darling gave me a level of acceptance for the original story that I half-expected (in that I was sure of the major plot points) and yet I'm happy with how the author wrote it. This sort of conflict is just as difficult in Neverland as it is in our world, it turns out. That feels right to me. Not that people should suffer to be who they really are, but that it's hard to deal with conflicts because so many of them are internalized. They're very tricky.

I loved the end. The details, particularly.… (more)