Aljce in Therapy Land by Alice Tawhai (Lawrence & Gibson, $25)

This adult reimagining of Alice in Wonderland has lots of weed and is set in Wellington (or at least a suspiciously Wellingtonish place). It is published by Lawrence & Gibson who also published one of my favourite works of NZ contemporary fiction, Lonely Asian Woman by Sharon Lam. Both pukapuka (books) are surreal – original – deeply odd. Aljce in Therapy Land is about trainee counsellor Aljce, who gets a job at the Therapy Hub run by Jillq – an over-the-top Queen of Hearts character and an unsettlingly recognisable portrayal of a bullying boss. Her gaslighting shreds Aljce’s self-esteem and ramps up her anxiety. Most of her colleagues will happily backstab Aljce in order to placate Jillq: the entire organisation has been warped to maintain the poisonous status quo. Aljce in Therapy Land feels dreamlike with a nightmarish feeling that something bad is happening that you can’t stop. It makes for unbalancing and compelling reading, just the job if you need validation of your weird, pandemic-induced brain-holes. I recommend reading this pukapuka but stopping before you get to the clunkily conventional epilogue, which spoiled the cleverly unsettling vibe. – Elizabeth Heritage for Kete Books