Alice's real life no wonderland

Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin, Harper Collins, $38.99

Relevant offers

THE eternally eccentric story of Alice in Wonderland is making another comeback. Just as Tim Burton's film is in the cinemas, Melanie Benjamin's novel Alice I Have Been can be added to the long list of different takes on the Lewis Carroll classic, with Benjamin's version focusing on the behind-the-scenes story of Alice Liddell – the muse behind Carroll's masterpiece.

We meet Alice as a young girl growing up with a privileged life in Oxford. Since her father is dean of the university, Alice lives in close proximity to many academics, one being Charles Dodgeson (better known by his pseudonym – Lewis Carroll). Charles takes an enormous liking to Alice and creates a story around her. With little explanation the novel then jumps to Alice as an adult, seemingly after a falling out with Charles.

The grown-up Alice appears to be ashamed of her fairytale past as she attempts to live life as Alice Liddell, not Alice in Wonderland.

Benjamin's tale becomes depressing and a bit hollow as she deals with events in Alice's life. While she explains that her fiction is based on fact, it seems as though Benjamin tries to fit the many sombre details of Alice's past into a few pages.

If you love the story by Lewis Carroll and do not want to be reminded of his allegedly tainted past, then perhaps this novel isn't for you, as Carroll – or Dodgeson – comes off as an unlikeable character, verging on perverted.

While the novel swings between being bland and intriguing, you have to give Benjamin credit for daring to critique such well-loved figures of fiction.

Kate Mead is a media studies graduate from the University of Auckland.

- © Fairfax NZ News