Hook is Back!
No, I'm not referring to Tootles' line in the film "Hook", though that film is a wonderful sequel to "Peter Pan". I'm talking about the book "Peter Pan in Scarlet" by Geraldine McCaughrean.
I love pirate stories - and "Peter Pan" is undeniably a pirate story. Though ultimately tragic, it has all the elements of a swashbuckling tale: pirates, of course, swordfights, kidnapping, intrigue, faeries and one hungry crocodile. In the end, of course, Peter chooses to stay young forever - and that choice ultimately costs him his friends and the only mother he'd ever known.
Or so we thought.
Enter Wendy, John, Tootles, Slightly, Curly, First Twin and Second Twin Darling, now all grown up and nearly all with children of their own. For a time they live their lives of doctors, musicians, mothers...until the Never Land starts invading their dreams and leaving nasty reminders of itself in their beds. Something must be wrong in the Never Land, and the grown-ups are being called to go fix it.
But grown-ups cannot fly, and that is, of course, the only way to get to Never Land, so the Darling grown-ups must don their children's clothes and become children again themselves to go and save Peter Pan, who is the heart and mind of the Never Land.
Buckles every bit as swashed as in J. M. Barrie's original, McCaughrean takes us across an island where time has moved on from perpetual summer into an un-heard-of autumn. As if autumn in Never Land isn't alarming enough, McCaughrean also forces us to keep company with the creepy, raw-egg-eating and not-child-friendly Raveling Man and his sinister circus animals. She leads us to Hook's sea-chest, which contains the former captain's second-best red jacket (his best coat was eaten by the crocodile, along with James himself, you'll recall). Peter, of course, cannot resist claiming such a prize for himself, thus ensuring - in one sense - the return of Jas. Hook.
Yes, Hook is in McCaughrean's tale, too, if not in the way you might think. He influences Peter's choices throughout, and we meet some of the products of his influences in the form of the terrible Roarers - Lost Boys who were banished for Never Land's only crime, that of growing up.
All in all, McCaughrean's tale interlocks tightly with Barrie's. She captures the characters truly and clothes them snugly in Barrie's attire. Her Never Land is rich and her imagery vivid and often alliterative, so that it is a pleasure to listen to her tale. The action is non-stop, the situations into which the children get themselves (or Pan gets them, or the Raveling Man leads them) are overwhelming and often impossible, but McCaughrean takes them (and us) into, through, and out of them with ease and enjoyment and not an occasional gasp of fear or surprise.
A particular gem of a surprise is Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger, which makes a brief appearance, magically saving Peter and his friends from certain death.
A word of warning, though: McCaughrean's tale is darker and more tragic at times than Barrie's, and as such I recommend a parent read it through once before delivering it to younger children. Some of her imagery would have disturbed me as a child. In particular, the Raveling Man's description of the event that would have finished him off - in any other place but Never Land - is gruesome and laced with realism, and has the potential to become a seed for young nightmares. Also, Wendy and John's youngest brother, Michael, is notoriously missing from their quest, and we discover later that war in their grown-up world is the cause of this - a poignant reminder of the troubles of real life.
When I read the back cover blurb on "Peter Pan in Scarlet" and learned that our antagonist this time around was a circus owner, I had my doubts as to how well McCaughrean would use him as Pan's foil, but never fear! The Raveling Man is every bit as excellent a villain as Hook was, and in fact he often pushes to levels of hatred for the Raveling Man beyond what we ever felt about the original Hook. He is more than a worthy opponent for Pan and the Lost Boys and Girls.
Overall, "Peter Pan in Scarlet" is an excellent and recommended story for adults, and (with some strategic parental editing) for children as well!
-Tony
PS - It is worth noting that I did not actually read "Peter Pan in Scarlet". I listened to the audiobook version of it, read by the ever-versatile and always entertaining Tim Curry. His characterizations are unique and marvelously believable, and it is only occasionally that I recognized his distinct voice among those of the many and wildly varied characters' - a credit to his versatility. Even if you've read the book, I highly recommend getting a copy of the audiobook from your local library and giving it a listen, for the sheer entertainment value of it!