We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler review – a funny, creepy voyage for all ages

The Lemony Snicket author’s tale of teenage turmoil on a doomed boat trip displays comic brilliance but loses its way

In darkly interesting times, authors who can satisfy a previously unidentified hunger have the world at their feet. Writing as Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler gave young readers a drug they didn’t know they craved until they tried it. The wild gothic of the Unfortunate Events series was the literary equivalent of a scorpion lollipop: a macabre treat. Eyes widened, mouths salivated. The refuseniks carped. But most just wanted more.

The theme of Handler’s new novel, We Are Pirates , is classic Snicket: escape at any cost. Some of the exuberance and panache are present too. But there the obvious similarities end, and something far odder, more chaotic – and distinctly adult – takes centre stage.

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