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A review by archaicrobin
Wonderland by Zoje Stage
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First of all, this is NOTHING like The Shining or Shirley Jackson’s novels. I hate when books are marketed as other books because it’s a disservice to everyone, the authors and the readers. While the Shining weaves together the supernatural well with suspense, Zoje Stage goes a very different direction, instead creating a tense, slow burn. I would not recommend Wonderland if you’re expecting something scary and fast paced like The Shining.
In Wonderland Orla and Shaw take their kids (Eleanor Queen and Tycho) to rural New York in the middle of winter to start their new artistic lives out in the wilderness, far away from the city. Obviously things don’t work out, and soon the family feels a presence and finds themselves being contacted and terrorized by an unknown presence.
This is a great one to read during the winter or especially around Christmas, since the story concludes around that time. Zoje Stage is great at creating characters and settings that pull you in, however when it came to the actual story I wasn’t that interested. Honestly I don’t really know what to say about this one. It starts VERY slow, but if you stick with it, the novel picks up and suddenly it’s great, then you get to the end, and in my opinion it sucks again.
Wonderland feels like it’s not sure what it’s supposed to be. Is it a thriller? Is it a family novel? Is it a supernatural story? Is it possession? I don’t know, and the story doesn’t know. Despite this I still gave it 3 stars because for awhile there it was a good time!
Wonderland has great writing that is all her own, and I look forward to reading more by her.
In Wonderland Orla and Shaw take their kids (Eleanor Queen and Tycho) to rural New York in the middle of winter to start their new artistic lives out in the wilderness, far away from the city. Obviously things don’t work out, and soon the family feels a presence and finds themselves being contacted and terrorized by an unknown presence.
This is a great one to read during the winter or especially around Christmas, since the story concludes around that time. Zoje Stage is great at creating characters and settings that pull you in, however when it came to the actual story I wasn’t that interested. Honestly I don’t really know what to say about this one. It starts VERY slow, but if you stick with it, the novel picks up and suddenly it’s great, then you get to the end, and in my opinion it sucks again.
Wonderland feels like it’s not sure what it’s supposed to be. Is it a thriller? Is it a family novel? Is it a supernatural story? Is it possession? I don’t know, and the story doesn’t know. Despite this I still gave it 3 stars because for awhile there it was a good time!
Wonderland has great writing that is all her own, and I look forward to reading more by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief