The stories that use the elements of this old tale and change them to be a little more, let's say, horror are the ones that see the underbelly of a childhood favorite. A boy that lives with the fairies and fights pirates is not your friend. He's not going to keep you safe, not if it doesn't align with what he wants to do. It used to be used as a warning, heed your parents or the fairies will steal you away. Books that focus on the horror, the fear of a child who has been taken away from all that they know, those resonate more with their inspiration, showing the dark side, perhaps even the true side, of a tale like this.
Which is why It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo has turned out to be one of the better inspired tales I've found based on this children's classic. I was ready to be scared, to question what was happening, to care for the Darling children all grown up like me. While reading this book in the dark, I found myself pulling myself in tighter, imagining hands creeping up from the floor to snatch at my feet. I looked at things in the shadows, wondering if they had moved or were the same way I'd left them when there was still light. I wanted to check my windows to make sure they were secure and I turned the volume up on my children's monitor so I could hear their every movement. My eldest actually woke up crying during a particularly hair-raising part of this book and it set me on edge for the rest of the night. Coincidence? Obviously, but it put dreams in my head of shadows moving in ways they shouldn't and made me itch to turn on some lights. It was a glorious experience to read this tale and now I'll be following Pelayo to every new publication for years to come.
It Came from Neverland follows adult Wendy Darling working as a teacher in a home for children. It is 1914 and the world has been drawn into a world war that has left many children in need of a home and leaving London on edge about what is to come. Wendy spends her nights working in a hospital, reading stories to a soldier who has not woken once since returning from the war. One night he utters the name Peter Pan and Wendy knows that the story from her childhood, the one she told to explain where she and her brothers were when they went missing as children, has returned. Except the story she told was one of terror, of a boy that had snatched children for years and used them to play his games until he grew tired of them and killed them. Boys whose disappearances could not be explained and whose names Wendy knew, making her become ostracized by her family and neighbors who would rather lock her away than listen to her story. When the children at the school start to whisper about him, Wendy realizes that the children she cares for are now being threatened. Peter wants Wendy to return to him, as she swore once that she would do when she was a child, and he will use the people she loves to get what he wants. Wendy has to get her brothers to help her discover the truth about Peter Pan and stop him once and for all, before Wendy is taken away forever.
The world here was familiar, easy to slip into and follow Wendy around as she navigated her life as a school teacher. Pelayo uses a few easy locations, the Darling House, Marigold House, where Wendy works, and the hospital where Wendy volunteers and, of course, bits of Neverland that will be familiar to anyone with knowledge of the story, films or plays. Nothing else is necessary to really make this story work and I'm grateful for how concise the world was as it helped to keep the story centered. This is the story about Wendy banishing a monster from her childhood and the focus on her was perfect. Anything else would have been too much and less is more works brilliantly here. The world is filled with a few new faces, filling in the space to show how Wendy's world has grown with her age. What I found the most imaginative about Pelayo's creation here is the fact that this story exists alongside Barrie's creation which I found intriguing to consider this story as an influence on Barrie. It also drove home the fact that so many people chose to disregard Wendy's claims in favor of believing the more comforting image that Barrie had created. Pelayo also gives this book two timelines, showing us scenes from the past when Wendy, John and Michael were in Neverland while continuing to move through the current timeline and how Wendy was struggling with the slow appearances of Peter Pan around her. Both timelines worked to show what made Wendy so scared with her past interactions with Peter Pan and how it had affected her life in the long term. By showing the past, the present "games" and "tricks" are just that much more sinister, colored by the fears leftover from a traumatic childhood experience. The dread that Wendy felt as she searched for signs around her in the present was that much more discernable to the reader because of what we witnessed during her time in Neverland in the past.
The characters were well-rounded, especially with the detail given to show who the Darling children have become as adults. I thought their fates were tragic, showing how childhood trauma had driven the siblings apart. I was also heartbroken over the idea of Wendy suffered as a result of the truth she told. It made every decision Wendy made over the course of the book feel that much more weighted, to know that Wendy had told the truth and yet had suffered so much for doing the right thing. As a result, she leads a very solitary life, choosing to keep herself from caring too much for others as penance for the boys she left behind in Neverland when she fled. I also appreciated how Pelayo worked in the appearance of the classic villain Hook, using the character to help with shaping Peter Pan as the villain of every game and story that is told in his world, despite what the stolen children would try to claim. That being said, I also found the occupants of Marigold House to be endearing, with each child and their connection to Wendy making the stakes that much higher because even though Wendy has chosen to be alone, she still cares so much for charges, showing the maternal instinct that made her appealing enough to become the first girl taken to Neverland and why Peter Pan is still so determined to claim her.
As for the horror, Pelayo has a way with detail, the words and images that were used able to conjure up the children who had suffered horrible fates as players in Peter's games. I could see their faces and their injuries or what was left of them and it made the hair on my neck stand on end, especially when the familiar characters from the original tale were used, such as Tootles, Curly and the twins. The reasoning behind why Peter Pan needed to take children was interesting and the attention given to the way Peter truly reacted to the Lost Boys and their games was chilling. It could also be argued that Pelayo worked in a toxic relationship with Peter and Wendy and the Lost Boys, showing how easily Peter moved to manipulate the kids around him, gaslighting them so that they would believe only his version of events, taking his half truths as the complete story, warping things in their minds so they would only follow him to whatever fate he found most appealing at any moment's whim. Peter's obsession with Wendy was also terrifying, the idea that this creature with an unknown power was determined to consume Wendy just so he could win and then continue with his kidnapping and games. All of it together made this book chilling and it'll stay in my head and my heart as a scary, wonderful story. My goal this year was to read more horror novels and this book was one of my most anticipated titles that I had on pre-order. I can confidently say that this book did not disappoint at all.
In the end, the way the resolution came together made me feel content. There was still the World War happening back in London but there is still a thread of hope left for the characters. It wrapped up the way I had hoped and I have no questions left in my mind about any part of this story. The images will haunt me but the story itself is complete. Honestly, I'm so enchanted with this tale, a funny thing to say about a horror novel, and yet it is the best way to describe the feeling I'm left with now that the story has ended. I loved this book, plain and simple.
Read this book if you're a fan of Peter Pan stories that make Peter the monster you didn't know could orchestrate your nightmares.
Rating on my scale: 10 Stars. I've thought it over and I really have no complaints about this book. Everything I asked was answered and I'll be watching the shadows until who knows when. I'll also be looking into Pelayo's past works and will be adding them to my everlasting TBR list. I know a book is impressive when I want to hoard all of the author's works.
My thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Cynthia Pelayo for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
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