Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

Written by American author Christina Henry, Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook is a 2017 dark fantasy retelling of J. M. Barrie’s original play, Peter Pan. Henry has written several dark retellings of fairy tales to date, including Alice, which is based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; The Girl in Red, which adapts the story of Little Red Riding Hood; and The Mermaid, which based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Henry’s work often delves into the darker themes of such classic tales, reimagining them as violent horror stories, and Lost Boy follows this pattern as well. Told from the perspective of Jamie, one of Peter Pan’s lost boys who will ultimately grow up to become Captain Hook, the novel explores a much darker side to the story and portrays a Peter who is a cruel and careless tyrant.

This guide uses the 2017 Berkley e-book edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the novel and this guide contain descriptions of many scenes of graphic violence. Many characters, most of whom are children, die violent deaths or sustain severe injuries.