Where gore, fantasy, and heavy adult themes turn a classic children’s book into anything but, this is where you will find “Aliss.” Written by famed Canadian French best-selling author Patrick Senécal, Aliss is a dark and twisted psychological thriller loosely based on the classic novel by Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland.” Parallels can be drawn because both main characters are lost in a fantasy world of fascinating and odd characters.
Just out of college, 18-year-old Aliss takes a ride on the Montreal Metro and ends up in a place that doesn’t exist in the outside world. Leaving this place means she may never be able to find it again. Despite the intriguing and alluring nature of the place, Aliss soon begins to question her decision to stay as she realizes it’s not a colourful and happy place but rather a dark world filled with evil characters with no consequences for their actions. In this twisted place where nothing matters, Aliss can fulfill her dreams but at the high cost of losing her morality. The story explores whether Aliss will give up her humanity or find her way back to the metro.
Author Patrick Senécal is a popular Quebec Novelist who has written over thirty books. Three of them have been turned into movies, and several of them have landed on the top of the suspense thriller best-seller lists for French books, including The Passenger and Hell.com. His fascination with the dark side of human behaviour is evident in his character development. The Mad Hatter seems normal in comparison to the townspeople in this neighbourhood.
The original book was written in French, but there is an English translated version currently available on Amazon. It is well worth the read; I have not been able to put it down since I started reading it because I am fascinated by the characters’ choices. I will look for more works by this author in my subsequent search for books in the suspense and thriller category.
A cautionary note: there is a great deal of sex and violence in this book, and I am rating it as restricted.