A review by minimicropup
Wonderland by Zoje Stage

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

🇺🇸 Set in an isolated old farmhouse in the Adirondacks of New York State, USA 
POV: We explore a family’s transition from the bustle of Manhattan to the eerie quiet of rural life as experienced from the perspective of our main character, a retired ballet dancer, with their spouse and two kids. 
 
Mood Reading Match Up:
-Psychological suggestive terror with threads of ‘how far would you go’ for your family  
-Wintery “stay out of the woods” energy
-Deep, existential, and fantastical elements in a chilling, fairy tale-like setting
-Themes of grief, death, familial bonds, nature, spirit, meaning, intuition, love, survival, art, dreams, connection, ‘otherness’, rebirth, and displacement. 
 
—
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕
✏️ Writing: The narration is third person where we are immersed into the protagonist Orla’s psyche. She is really introspective and we hear every layer of her thoughts and plans, which added to the story but also felt overwhelming sometimes. I liked the writing style though and it avoided actual repetitiveness while delving into Orla’s processing of her new life and its challenges. 
 
🫥 Characters: I liked the portrayal of the family. Each member was realistically flawed, so they had a believable dynamic. There was no clear-cut villain, only people navigating significant changes and their own fears. Their interactions and individual responses to the events around them added to the suspense.
 
🗺️ Worldbuilding: The farmhouse and surrounding woods had a wintery charm that was both inviting and ominous. The setting evolved as the family explored, so we were also expanding our own mental image alongside the characters. This is a great read for a dark, snowy season.
 
🔥 Fuel: We started off suggestive and subtle with small, unnerving occurrences. Then I was questioning what was happening and if it was going to have a rational or supernatural explanation. There are some surprisingly dark twists that ramped up the tension and that’s when reality and supernatural started to blend in a scary way. If you are looking for direct or fast-paced horrors this may feel sluggish, confusing, vague, or like ‘nothing is happening’. 
 
🐢 Pacing: The pacing was consistent, though it felt slow at times because of the density of the narration and the heavy themes. 
 
🎬 Scenes: The fairy tale-like scenes were done well; they blended modern storytelling with the timeless feel of folklore. While some scenes seemed prolonged, they effectively built suspense and emotional investment for me. And they were described in such a way that I could easily imagine even the more bizarre ones. I found myself considering what I would do in that situation. 
 
🤔  Random Thoughts: The philosophical depth of the story kept my attention, but I took more breaks than I usually do for reflection and  to get away from the story. Sometimes (for me) reading this felt like a nightmare and I was so grateful to be back in my little world whenever I put the book down. I still think about these characters and the unease I got reading this. I think if you were a sensitive kid or are particularly sensitive to themes of familial protection and safety, this will hit harder.
 
Overall, I thought this was a moving story but was surprisingly heavy with grief and loss. I think this novel is a good choice for those who appreciate psychological and emotional depth (and rumination) and the interplay of reality and the supernatural. Just be ready to dive deep with the grief and loss feels (could be cathartic, could be anxiety-inducing!). 
 
—
 
Content Heads-Up: Generalized anxiety. Gun violence/accidents. Death, blood, gore. Trapped/confined. Natural disasters (snow, ice). Loss of a child. Loss of a parent. Food insecurity. Loss of a spouse. 
Rep: Multi-Racial and White American characters. 
 
Format: Paperback
 
“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”
Expand filter menu Content Warnings