"Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson is the book I always recommend to people looking for a heart-aching story. It will make you cry until the pages wrinkle and walk around in a dreamy daze long after you've finished the book. Not only is Anderson's writing phenomenal, but the characters are amazingly dynamic with multiple complex layers. But what really makes the book worth reading, is the fact that even though this book is classified as a romantic-fantasy, Tiger Lily still manages to weave big issues into the main love story. Issues like gender stereotypes, the impact of European culture on a native culture, transphobia and the conflict of the sacred and secular are fully integrated throughout the book. I didn't expect to be so moved by a book that I thought would just be about a Peter Pan parody, but I was happily surprised when it did. Even if you're not a big Peter Pan fan, even if you don't care for tragic love stories, this is a book you must read.
Tiger Lily is a parody novel based on the original play "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie. This book has really broken the mold of Peter Pan. Anderson has crafted the world of in a way that's completely her own. She's made the world of Neverland five times more dangerous and 10 times more beautiful. The book follows the life of Tiger Lily, the Neverland Indian, told from the point of view of Tinker Bell. It's an interesting choice of narration since we're able to get a fly on the wall perspective of the inner workings of Neverland. We're also able to experience the events of the book within Tinker Bell's mindset, allowing us to experience jealousy, hope and fear as she does.
The book has several conflicts that Anderson weaves together seamlessly. The main conflict is Tiger Lily's relationship with Peter. Her love affair with Peter is already complicated by the fact that she is already engaged in an arrangement by her well-meaning guardian. But, their affair is complicated further by Peter's complex attitudes towards sacred objects, gods and the roles of women. It was Tiger Lily's tomboyish attitude that first drew Peter to her but as their relationship progressed it became more of an obstacle that built ice between them. With the arrival of Wendy, Tiger Lily realized what kind of woman Peter wanted and her jealousy would get the better of her in the end.
Aside from the affair, another equally challenging conflict faced Tiger Lily. An English man named Philip had washed on the shores of Neverland and Tiger Lily felt enough sympathy to nurse him back to health. But Philip brings new and influential ideas to her tribe. No one is more greatly affected than Tick Tok, Tiger Lily's only guardian. Tick Tok is a cross-dressing man and the medicine woman of their tribe. The war between their tradition and England culture is a battle that can only be won through Tiger Lily's intervention. Tiger Lily is feared in her tribe because of a circulating rumor that she is both cursed and blessed by their gods.
And in the shadows lurks another threat to Tiger Lily's safety. A homicidal pirate -- though not the one your thinking of -- is plotting her murder.
Tiger Lily is equal parts a romance and a tragedy. It is a book full of moments of boundless love and terrible loss. Tiger Lily has never been portrayed so wonderfully and Jodi Lynn Anderson has done an amazing job weaving together this engaging book with characters we can all sympathize with. If there's one book you should read this year, let it be Tiger Lily.
