I could nitpick a few things here and there some supporting characters weren’t as developed as they could have been for the role they served in the novel, for example. Reading it was like a productive session of therapy–emotional (you may cry, but the good kind), but uplifting. Peter’s character actualizes in a healing way, and it’s healing just to read about it. And without spoiling exactly what the journey entails, or where Peter ends up, I have to say that it was incredibly healing to read a trans story with a happy ending–a genuine, fairy-tale happy ending. Chant escorts the reader through Peter’s journey to inner peace. But the book isn’t about trauma, it’s about healing from it in a productive way. There is the half-forgotten memory of transphobia underpinning Peter’s character–traumatizing when he finds himself faced with moments of clarity through the Neverland fog.
But what I appreciated most about the novel was how therapeutic it was.
Peter Darling contains several different story elements working harmoniously, from the exploration of “growing up” when it is easier to escape into one’s imagination, to the romantic tension with Captain Hook, both of which are accomplished in an extremely compelling way. Chant does excellent work exploring these themes of maturity, escapism, and taking responsibility for oneself. It is only when Peter stirs up trouble that violence returns to Neverland. His grown-up lost boys have made peace with the pirates. Chant focuses on what it means to grow up–Peter wants to return to the Neverland of his childhood and be a “boy” again, to kill pirates without consideration for the consequences, but has to learn how to exist as an adult all over again. Peter Darling is the story of the return of Peter. He had been to Neverland before as Pan, and had invented a whole host of lost boys to keep himself company, but Peter then chose to grow up as “Wendy,” until, years later, he changed his mind and returned to Neverland. In Neverland, where imagination becomes reality (and the outside world is soon forgotten), Peter Darling is safe to live life as the “Peter Pan” character he invented in his youth. The book is a re-imagining of Peter Pan as a story about escaping escapism and finding peace where it comes as a gay, trans man.
Peter Darling is short, sweet, and hits like an arrow to a target. I woke up one morning, decided to start it, and read it straight through in four hours. Reader, I couldn’t put Peter Darling down. Trigger warnings: Emotional abuse, Transphobia (Peter’s parents don’t accept any masculine behavior in his youth, which is recalled in scene), Character death, Murder, Graphic injury. Therefore I cannot recommend the book to younger teens it is technically adult fiction. Note: There is sexual content in Peter Darling, bordering on explicit.
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