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Book Review: 'Alice'

Alice and Wonderland gets a dystopian revamp.

By Cody DeitzPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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As always, spoilers lay ahead.

Before I get into the summary and review of the story, I do want to discuss the content that lies ahead can be triggering for some people. This story is centered on a sexual-assault survivor-based story, so approach ahead at your own discretion.**

ALICE turns Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures into a twisted nightmare coming from a sexual-assault survivor in the dystopian land of the Old City. Haunted by a violent memory of “The Rabbit,” Alice spent the ten years in a mental hospital next to Hatcher: another resident who was admitted for waking up with a hatchet in his hand and multiple dead bodies around him. The two become friends and escape one night, when the hospital catches on fire. With the unleashing of the Jabberwocky, and a city that is completely terrorized by gangsters such as the Walrus, the Rabbit, and the Caterpillar, Alice and Hatcher go on an adventure to correct their wrongdoings: the horrible experiences Alice faced by the Rabbit, and the murder and kidnapping of Hatcher’s family by the Rabbit.

ALICE plays with Carroll's original text brilliantly, making these anthropomorphic animals into actual human characters. Each of Carroll's characters has their own human twist: the Rabbit's ears are actually shaped like a rabbit, and the Walrus's arms are broken in such a way to mimic the shape of a walrus. Henry reinvents these characters very well and is able to capture the girl-in-a-scary-new-world all over again, just without the literal dream down the rabbit hole scenario. In this case, it is a girl trapped in a mobster Rabbit's world.

Henry's rendition of Alice is very hard to connect with when thinking about how Carroll's Alice is curious, adventurous, and often arguable to the other creatures. The former tends to let Hatcher care for her—he saves them from the hospital and kills many of the Walrus's men, with Alice often on the sidelines. When you think about the two versions of Alice, you would think readers would connect more with someone closer in age, but the nostalgic feelings carried by Carroll are hard not to identify with.

With that being said, Carroll's Alice strolled through all of Wonderland by herself, and didn't necessarily fear any character she found there, which may be solely just based on children's innocence and curiosity. Henry's Alice becomes more warrior-like, can stand up for herself, and by the end is a hero for many that have been captured in the sex slave operations happening in the Old City. For those who have experienced trauma in any form, there is something magical about finding the face of a warrior in media going through a similar experience, and I believe that may be happening here in Henry's adaptation of Alice's Adventures.

This read could realistically be anything but a Wonderland. There are a lot of rape situations, gore, and details describing the deaths of a character. I think it is something important to consider before you pick up a copy, as this book may be sensitive to some audiences. Otherwise, this story was a fantastic retelling to the 150-year-old girl traveling through a dreamland trying to find herself.

I do think it is a bold opportunity to read about something life altering, and going through the adventure that comes with being a survivor is rocky—let's not forget that—and the development that comes afterward can be great. I highly recommend it as a survivor myself—also because I love Alice's Adventures—not to mention that there is great opportunity to psychologically see the cognition happening in Alice's mind after experiencing trauma. It is quite beautifully written.

And yes, there is a sequel to keep your curious mind going as well. A review of Red Queen will come later.

You like? Buy this on Amazon here.

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

literature
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About the Creator

Cody Deitz

I'm just a graduate student that loves music, reading, and too much Netflix.

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