These twists bring a freshness to Darling that helps lay the groundwork for the insidious nature of Peter’s dealings as well as bringing moments of levity and wonder. But, they’re all turned on their head, shaping this story that gets darker and darker as Wendy is pulled further into Peter’s web. Someone whose charisma hides a dark secret.Īncrum adds canon bits from the classic tale like Tinkerbell’s jealousy, the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, and even the mermaid lagoon.
Wendy, a young Black girl who doesn’t know the area, has just snuck out of her house with someone she doesn’t know.
That’s the fantasy element, and Ancrum wastes little time yanking the sheet off that ghost to reveal the truth of the situation. It’s the kind of warm, slightly heart-pounding moment that teen contemporaries are made of, the stuff that has teenagers hungrily digging into books that promise adventure with a side of disobedience. He’s charming, pretty, and offers to show her the city after she’s sewed the sleeve back onto his jacket. She told her parents her window needed fixing, they put it off, and then in climbs Peter when they’re out of the house. When Wendy Darling–a new transplant to Chicago whose protective parents are keeping her from visiting her best friend Eleanor–sneaks out with Peter, it’s an act of rebellion. Darling is a rollicking retelling that transforms Peter Pan into a teen crime drama The fun-loving, mischievous Peter who means well even as he gets everyone into heaps of trouble.įair warning, that is not Darling’s Peter Pan. Barrie’s classic children’s tale, there will be readers like myself who can’t shake the memory of Disney’s Peter Pan. It’s confirmation bias, and Ancrum is deft at exploiting that tendency.Įven as it’s made clear that she is exploring the darker elements of J.M. Why? Because Darling is a Peter Pan retelling. Not because Ancrum is pulling the wool over the readers’ eyes but because we fall into the trap of our own expectations. Ancrum is a crime thriller, but the magic of this young adult novel is that it masquerades as a coming-of-age fantasy.
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