Review: Lost Boy

Lost Boy by Christina Henry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I probably wouldn't call it 'horror' but it's definitely violent and gory and full of darkness, which was fun.

This re-telling had me hating on Peter Pan almost instantly. Kid is a proper narcissist with some seriously disturbing ideas.

We all know the legend of the boy who didn't want to grow up. This story takes everything problematic about this notion and explores its darkness, sacrificing the lives of many of Peter's 'Lost Boys' to make its point.

The story is told by Jamie - who wears a fancy red coat which might hint at what his future has in store for him. But even knowing the legend can't prepare us for the journey towards that famous enmity.

Almost instantly the roles are reversed, and we're supporting Jamie over the selfish Peter. Peter collects boys to play with, whereas Jamie is the one who cares for them all, and protects them where he can. Yet he's still victim to his own rages, which serves as a reminder that, no matter how in control Jamie seems, he's still just a kid.

The story itself was a little slow for me, and perhaps that's because I wasn't particularly taken with any of the characters immediately. While Jamie is easy to like, he's far too serious to be any proper fun. Fog and Nod were far more entertaining, but their part is rather small in comparison to the detailed, complex relationship between Peter and Jamie. While there is still plenty of action, this story is stronger in themes - in particular, it focuses on the lack of responsibility of childhood, and the pros and cons of growing up.

There's definitely an element of fantasy, but there wasn't really enough magic for my liking. It had a strong Lord of the Flies vibe, with all these wild boys running mad on their own island, splitting into factions and perpetrating all manner of unrestrained violence on one another.

I certainly enjoyed the second half of the novel far more, as things really escalated and we began to see everyone's true colours. Yet it did still feel a little washed out to me. There was no real surprise, or dramatic turn of events. It was all pretty predictable, which took away some of the fun.

I was hoping for a dark, twisted spin on the story we all know, but it was more just an exploration of the dark themes the original story never really considered. It's about unhealthy relationships and immaturity and the damage that spawns from the refusal to take responsibility. I guess it made me think more than it allowed me to just sink into a story that entertained.

It was a good read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, and it was certainly hard to put down. But I don't think it diverted enough from the original story to really make its mark with me. It's all about the wildness of the boys, and the magic that makes me such a fan of the original Peter Pan was sadly lacking here.

Maybe it's time I start using half-star ratings, because this wasn't as bad as a 3, but not as good as a 4. So let's consider this my first official 3.5-star.

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