Paperback, 336 pages
Published June 1, 2021 by Titan Books.
Find the second star from the right, and fly straight on 'til morning, all the way to Neverland, a children's paradise with no rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who will never grow old.
But Wendy Darling grew up. She has a husband and a young daughter called Jane, a life in London. But on night, after all these years, Peter Pan returns. Wendy finds him outside her daughter's window, looking to claim a new mother for his Lost Boys. But instead of Wendy, he takes Jane.
Now a grown woman, a mother, a patient and a survivor, Wendy must follow Peter back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and finally face the darkness at the heart of the island...
This is indeed a dark retelling of the Pete Pan story, and it is an excellent one. Very well written; we follow the story from the POV of Wendy now, Wendy then, and Wendy's daughter Jane, and each voice is distinctive. It is hard to put down, and gives you a good deal to think about after.
[ Overall Thoughts ]
This is the year of Peter Pan-inspired books, with Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas earlier this year, and both Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise and Darling by K. Ancrum out this June. It's fascinating to me how different each of these works manages to be, and how much each one appeals to me. This particular book is not so much a retelling as a continuation; a what-came-next to the original. It is billed as dark and feminist, and I think it delivers fairly well on both.
We get the story in POVs from Wendy and her daughter, Jane, with both flashbacks and sections from earlier years of Wendy's life interspersed. The timeline is a bit chaotic throughout, though I felt it worked to build tension and keep me guessing as it doled out tidbits of past and present. But if you're a reader …
[ Overall Thoughts ]
This is the year of Peter Pan-inspired books, with Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas earlier this year, and both Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise and Darling by K. Ancrum out this June. It's fascinating to me how different each of these works manages to be, and how much each one appeals to me. This particular book is not so much a retelling as a continuation; a what-came-next to the original. It is billed as dark and feminist, and I think it delivers fairly well on both.
We get the story in POVs from Wendy and her daughter, Jane, with both flashbacks and sections from earlier years of Wendy's life interspersed. The timeline is a bit chaotic throughout, though I felt it worked to build tension and keep me guessing as it doled out tidbits of past and present. But if you're a reader who likes linear stories, the storytelling style here may irk you.
Both Wendy and Jane are determined to solve their problems for themselves, and work actively to do so. I enjoyed their narratives, and felt their voices differed enough to make them unique. Their narrative voices do a lot of internal mulling over of their situations and often in the format of an almost stream-of-consciousness line of questions. This style overall worked well to communicate the Neverland brain fog that Jane is experiencing, but felt a little repetitive on occasion in both POVs.
Minor quibbles aside, the plot moves quickly, the characters are engaging, and the story is unique to other Peter Pan works I've encountered and I enjoyed it.
[ Mildly Spoilery Notes ]
Regarding Wendy's arc: Wendy is frequently shown to struggle with guilt, often over things she had no control over or things she should not be responsible for. Family is a big theme here: with her as a mother in Neverland trying to get Jane back, the original treatment of her in Neverland as a "mother" to the Lost Boys, and as the eldest of sibling of her brothers when they were orphaned, trying to hold them together as a family - in misguided and hurtful ways, but with the intention of uniting them. I enjoyed the look at this responsibility pushed onto girls and young women, and Wendy recognizing her guilt and the guilt of other women around her as not fair, but no less real for it. I found Wendy to be likable, frustrating, scarily ruthless, and deeply compassionate in turns. Overall she was a complex character that I often felt conflicted about, and that made her all the more engaging to follow.
Regarding representation: Though labels are not explicitly used, Wendy is described as aromantic and/or asexual.
> "I don't think I'm made for that sort of love." Wendy opens her eyes, swallows. Her throat aches. It's hard, saying the words aloud. "Not the sort of love most people think of when they think of a marriage."
Her husband Ned had a long-term relationship with a man who is mentioned to have passed away shortly before Ned and Wendy are arranged to be married. Ned and Wendy and their friend Mary have close and loving friendships with one another and I really enjoyed them functioning as a family unit, though it is only a small portion of the story.
[ Suggested Audience ]
Readers who have an affinity for retellings, especially Peter Pan retellings, will find something unique here.
Readers who enjoy historical fantasy and a frank look at some of society's less laudable habits, such as putting inconvenient women in asylums, will likely be interested in Wendy's life after returning from Neverland as it's depicted here.
Readers who want to see Neverland go a bit to the dark side, a bit the way of Lord of the Flies, and some persistent female MCs who are determined to figure it all out will find lots to like here.
[ TL;DR ]
A dark, unique retelling of Peter Pan that was overall an enjoyable read.
