Tink and Wendy sets the story of Peter Pan with a small twist that changes everything: instead of bringing the Darling siblings into their world, Peter and Tink stay in our world. As Peter brings his chaotic brand of fun to their dour lives, Tink grows more and more concerned over the impact this will have back in Neverland. And the ending is a foregone conclusion: when readers first meet Tink, she acknowledges adult John and Michael, then goes to tend Peter and Wendy’s graves. The book doesn’t ask, what’s going to happen? It asks, how did we get here?
This is first and foremost a fanfic and ought to be read with that in mind. Readers should already know Wendy, John, Michael, and Peter. Most do: the story of Peter Pan is solidly established in the Western canon. The book’s focus on Tinker Bell allows a character previously relegated to being a nagging spark of light to develop personhood. I use the term “nagging” here not to demean Tinker Bell but as a criticism of the initial story, in which any female character existed either to be romanticized or sexualized or to impede Peter Pan.
I see this as a fix-it fic. In this story, we get to see the mermaids as more than just jealous and catty. We see the strain of Wendy being forced to grow up too fast. We see a Tink who is loyal, dedicated, snarky, and a bit of a pain sometimes. I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I liked the modern, punk-aesthetic Tink.
The book also looks into the backstory of Neverland through excerpts from in-universe text Neverland: A History. This is a lot of fun. The author went a bit wild with the world-building, which suits the story perfectly. Alien mermaids, pirate politics, Tink’s application… these are the sorts of things I love to see in a story already divorced from reality, as Peter Pan necessarily is. They add so much flavor and help redefine Neverland in a new light.
Not being a romance fan myself, I found less than engaged with those aspects of the story, and deemed them a bit perfunctory. Then I realized I needed to take this from a fanfic frame of mind. I needed to remember that I had been invited to read a particular pairing, and fanfic presupposes readers’ interest. That’s why we have tagging systems. So did the book make a Tink/Wendy shipper out of me? Well, no. But that wasn’t what it set out to do.
Overall, if you like the idea of the Peter Pan story but would love a well-written sapphic fanfic; if you enjoy multiple timelines and in-universe media; if you like your world-building with an extra daring dose of why not, then consider Tink and Wendy for your TBR.
Content Warnings: pregnancy, death, alcoholism
