I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Wonderland by Zoje Stage Published by Mulholland Books on July 14 2020
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: An unsettling and suspenseful ghost story with subtle horror elements.
I’m so glad I had the chance to read Wonderland, a slow burn horror story that turned out to be a nice change of pace. I heard lots of buzz about Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth when it came out last year, but I never got a chance to read it myself. From what I understand, Wonderland is quite different, which may be why there are so many mixed reviews on Goodreads. But I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it to readers who like their horror mixed with a splash of literary flair.
The story centers around the Bennett family. Orla has been a professional ballet dancer in New York City for years, but now that she’s forty-one, she feels like that part of her life might be over. Her husband Shaw has been raising the kids while Orla works, but he urges Orla to retire so that he can have his “turn” pursuing his passion for art. Orla reluctantly agrees to move upstate to the Adirondacks, far enough from the city so the family can raise their children in the fresh air, away from the hustle and bustle and dangers of city life. The children, Eleanor Queen and Tycho, are fascinated with the snowy landscape and the dense forest near the property, and Shaw is thrilled to have his own art studio in their new house.
But soon after they arrive, odd things start to happen. Shaw takes a walk in the snow to the edge of their property but gets lost and can’t find his way back. Orla sees an albino deer that no one else can see. And Eleanor Queen seems to be communicating with the huge evergreen tree near the house. Shaw begins spending more and more time in his studio, obsessed with painting the disturbing images he sees in his head, and Orla senses their family is starting to fracture. With each new incident, it becomes more and more clear that something doesn’t want the Bennett family to leave.
Wonderland was a creepy story that was hard to put down, despite the fact that most of the “horror” is subtle. Stage has a wonderful way of describing all the mundane parts of family life—eating dinner, dressing the kids in their snow gear, Orla’s constant attempts to keep her children occupied—which lull the reader into a false sense of security and inattention. These quiet, normal moments are punctuated with bizarre events that shake you up and then put you on edge, waiting for the next weird thing to happen. There’s also the fact that the family members are seeing impossible things that may or may not be there, which makes the story even more unsettling. Shaw starts exhibiting strange, reclusive behavior—sort of like Jack Torrance in The Shining (and yes, I did get some of those vibes), although he never turns aggressive towards his family like Jack did. But Orla knows her husband well, and she’s certain something is wrong, even if it takes her almost the entire book to figure out what that is.
Stage uses snow as one of the main horror elements, which I loved. Orla and her family move to their new house in the winter, and so when they arrive there’s already snow on the ground. At first the kids are thrilled, but then eerie, inexplicable things start to happen involving the snow, like sudden snow storms and threatening “snow rollers” (I had to look that one up!). The weather surrounding the house is unpredictable, and despite the fact that Orla tries to find a logical explanation for everything, it’s pretty clear that there is some kind of supernatural force that’s trying to scare the family.
Stage’s writing works especially well with this type of story, and I loved the way the entire story is told from Orla’s perspective. I really felt for Orla. She’s not only given up her career as a ballet dancer, but she’s been forced to move out of her beloved city. But at heart, she’s a mother and a wife, and so she puts on a smile and tries to make the best of her new life. Even when faced with the impossible, Orla convinces herself that she’s just seeing things. Or that the kids have vivid imaginations. Or that her husband is a sensitive, creative type, and why shouldn’t he hear the trees talking to him? Scattered throughout the story are tidbits about the long ago tragic death of Orla’s brother, and these memories surface when her own children are in danger. Shaw, on the other hand, struck me as a selfish man who whines way too much about how it’s “his turn to chase after his dreams” whenever Orla (rightfully) suggests that maybe they should consider moving back home.
I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending. The story eventually turns into a ghost story of sorts, although the entity they’re dealing with doesn’t reveal itself until the end. Orla finds herself faced with all sorts of awful choices, and how those choices pan out will probably not work for every reader. I did love that Stage didn’t answer all my questions, though. Some ambiguity is necessary if you want to leave your reader with a sense of unease, especially in horror fiction. The bottom line is this: Wonderland was a spooky, compelling read that kept me up way past my bedtime.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Good review! This one’s on my TBR. Some people REALLY don’t like it, but I think the reader just has to be okay with a slow burn story.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…3 Non Sequiturs
Yeah, I saw a few one star reviews and didn’t understand those. Oh well, to each his own!
If a book keeps you up past your bedtime then you know you’re hooked.
Lynn 😀
Exactly. It was sort of hypnotic!
I wasn’t a big fan of Baby Teeth personally but this does sound different enough to intrigue me. Glad to see you enjoyed it!
I’m so curious about Baby Teeth now!
Great review! Definitely makes me curious about this.
Thanks Bob:-)
Your description of everything that starts happening with the family once they move gave me chills. And even before you mentioned Jack Torrance I was already getting those vibes too. But I’m glad he never gets aggressive towards his family. Let’s just say I’m already creeped out by this story and I haven’t even read it. It sounds great though!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Murder in the Place of Anubis by Lynda Robinson
I was surprised how effective the story was, because it’s quite slow paced.
Sounds really creepy! I’m going to need to check this one out!
Yes, it’s very creepy:-)
I do think there’s a good chance I might enjoy this one. It’s certainly worth giving it a try. I like the idea of the slow build up, the more subtle horror, the unanswered questions, the snow. Thanks for a great review, Tammy!
I thought it was different from what I normally read, so a win for me:-)
Excellent review! I enjoyed Baby Teeth overall so I’m definitely curious about this one. Subtle horror is great for me since I’m a huge chicken, lol.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday – FURIA by Yamile Saied Méndez
Me too! I hate jump scares, so the slow burn type of horror is just my speed:-)
Baby Teeth was a trip so even though this one is different I’m inrigued!!
I’ll have to read Baby Teeth eventually, just so I can see what everyone is calling “trippy”, lol.
Slowburn horror can be great! I have the audio for review and I think I’ll save this one for when I’m in the right mood for subtle horror 😀
I think this might work well in audio!
This sounds really good, I agree with you I love the use of weather to create atmosphere and snow can be very claustrophobic.
Thanks for sharing your review.
Heather @ RandomRedheadedRamblings recently posted…Book Blogger Hop – 7th to 13th August
I think she did a great job of scaring me with snow:-)
You did a marvellous job with this review. Now I really do need to read Wonderland.
Thank you Lydia!
A part of me really wants to try this but slow burn novels and I don’t get along sometimes…lol.
Yeah, I know you aren’t a fan of the slow burn:-)
This sounds weird and interesting. I’ll have to keep it in mind when I’m picking out books for October and spooky reads times. 🙂
It’s very spooky and would be perfect for October:-)
A wonderful review, Tammy! And there are times when I love a slow burn, creepy read – but not right now… I’m struggling enough with unpleasantly vivid dreams… I’ll make a note, though, for when I am in the mood for a tingling, tense-filled read:))
Ah yes, you don’t want to make those dreams worse;-)