Alice by Heart

In Sater’s debut novel, an adaptation of the playwright’s musical of the same name, 15-year-old Alice Spencer finds solace from a nightmarishly claustrophobic London Underground bunker during the WWII Blitz by remembering her favorite book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sater effectively sketches pervasive anxiety, not only about the bombings but also Alice’s concern about her desperately sick best friend; Alfred battles tuberculosis, quarantined in an adjoining area and tended by imperious nurses and doctors. In order to bring them both comfort, Alice begins to retell and reimagine their shared favorite book. Though the slow unspooling heightens the stifling atmosphere, the writing can feel overly flowery and the pace, rambling. The narrative features historical photographs, such as people sleeping on a Tube escalator and nurses wearing gas masks, that underscore the wartime realities and contrast the original volume’s illustrations. Though this novel is adapted from a play, its narrative lacks propulsive drama. Ages 12–up. [em](Feb.) [/em]