Hooked: A Dark, Contemporary Romance

Hooked can also be characterized as a fractured fairy tale, or a retelling of a fairy tale that maintains some elements from the original story, changing details and plot beats to create a new narrative. In Hooked, McIntire maintains only select elements of the original Peter Pan narrative, as written by J. M. Barrie in the early 20th century. McIntire also makes connections from later adaptations, such as the animated version produced by Disney in 1953. From the original tale, McIntire retains major relationships, like Captain Hook’s feud with Peter Pan, Hook’s fear of the crocodile that took his hand, and Tinker Bell’s jealousy over Peter and Wendy’s relationship. Many of the names in McIntire’s work are borrowed from Peter Pan without retaining their original meaning or relevance, such as the Lost Boys, who are Peter’s companions in the original but here are the men who work for James (Hook). Tiger Lily, an Indigenous character in the original work, is presented as the yacht that James owns, which is a problematic reimagining of a marginalized character.

Overall, the narrative of Hooked bears little resemblance to the original work. While many names and relationships are maintained, the plot centers on Wendy and James’s romance, which does not exist in the original.