Tiger Lily (review)

Living on the social edge of her village in Neverland and reared by an ambiguously gendered shaman, Tiger Lily may be a bit witchy herself. The loneliness that comes with her outsider status has instilled in her both fearlessness and wanderlust, a combination that eventually drives her into the forbidden lands where Peter Pan lives. She and Peter approach each other warily, recognizing a common inner wildness, which soon turns to respect and a fierce love. Tiger Lily has other commitments, though, such as her engagement to a loathsome older man in repayment of a debt, while her adopted father—the aforementioned shaman, Tik Tok—requires her care after an event in the village leaves him emotionally devastated. All of this proves too much for Peter, so he pushes Tiger Lily away and falls for the simple, devoted Wendy, who satisfies some masculine longing in him that Tiger Lily always challenged with her strength and independence. Tiger Lily's tale is told by Tinker Bell, who in this rendering is devoted to the girl and who struggles with her deep love for both Tiger Lily and Pan. The elements of the original tale are all present, but they are played out with subtle but credible twists in interpretation and focus. Though the book is suitable for younger readers, the suggestive allusions and penetrating insights into gender, aging, and colonization pay more sophisticated attention to the craft of adaptation by drawing out ideas latent in Barrie's work. Unlike other sequels and revisions of Peter Pan, this is serious and moving; indeed, it stands up to comparison with Terry Pratchett's Nation (BCCB 11/08) in its emotional intensity and ideological concerns.