Peter Darling by Austin Chant is not really a re-telling or extension of the Peter Pan story so much as it is a re-framing of something familiar that once read, makes complete sense.
Most of my knowledge of Peter Pan comes from the Disney cartoon and an old recorded stage production starring Mary Martin that we taped off tv. Is this where I admit I have never read Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie? It appears that it is. Peter Darling is rooted more deeply in the original Peter Pan so occasionally, I found my mind-visuals did not quite match what the story called for. More on that later.
Peter Darling picks up the story of Peter Pan, returning to Neverland after ten years away. He finds it both exactly the same and nothing like what he left. The Lost Boys are still living in their tree where he expects them to be, but they have a new leader, a boy named Ernest who Peter does not remember from his time before. Peter is also furious to learn that the Lost Boys have been living at peace with the pirates, a state he remedies as soon as he can find Hook.
Despite his claims to be the embodiment of joy and youth, Peter is angry and afraid, lashing out at anyone who asks him about the family he left Neverland for or his time in the real world. He forces himself to not remember why he came back to Neverland and why he is so desperate to stay. Despite his attempts to pretend as though nothing has changed in Neverland, Peter is forced by those around him – Tinker Bell, Ernest and Hook – to confront his reasons for returning, and for staying.
Here’s where I have some thoughts about this book that will contain some mild spoilers. First, Austin Chant is clearly a very strong writer and I plan on checking out their other books because while I definitely enjoyed Peter Darling, it carried a whiff of fan-fiction. I don’t mean that in a negative way other than at times, Chant seemed to push up against the boundaries of a story and character that is extremely well-known. I would love to read what they can do with characters of their own. Chant’s Peter is a more complete, empathetic character than the Peter Pan I remember from either Disney or the play but it was still difficult for me to imagine that character in some of the more emotional beats of Peter Darling.
The realization that Peter was forced to live as Wendy in the real world is heartbreaking and makes sense of Peter’s anguish and inability to connect with those around him, except through childish violence. Part of growing up is recognizing the consequences of actions and Peter’s refusal to grow up is rooted in his inability to grow up as the person he truly is.
Ultimately, I finished Peter Darling with a renewed sense of why we read fiction. Peter’s experiences were not something I have experienced but we read fiction to understand and empathize with another’s life story. The universal truth at the heart of Peter Darling is that we all want to be seen and loved for who we truly are.