ALICE THROUGH WONDERLAND

In this poetry anthology, Banerjee seeks to investigate notions of innocence and awareness by drawing on classic literature.

According to its preface, this work was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and William Wordsworth’s ode, Intimations of Immortality. The poet explains that the recurring central character of Alice in his own work initially perceives the world with the “heavenly perceptions” of Wordsworth, which, along with her childlike naïveté, fades over the course of her adventures. With this in mind, the poems seem to proceed linearly through Alice’s narrative, remaining close to her point of view throughout. They use poetic devices such as rhyme, symbolism, and repetition accessibly, but their structural elements, such as prosody and enjambment, seem to lack purpose, which may make it difficult for readers to find further depth of meaning in the text. It’s possible, though, that this was Banerjee’s intention: Many poems intentionally keep the reader at surface level to focus on the story, much as a tale made for children might. In keeping with the theme of increasing perception in adulthood, the more investigative pieces come in the anthology’s second half, and some of these sink into the figurative and speculative. A great example is “In My Wacky World,” in which Alice discusses befriending “a deck of cards / with legs that walk” and playing in the heart of Wonderland with creatures who “would rather chill / unlike humans.” Overall, this book will appeal most to those who prefer narrative, proselike poetry that focuses on themes of transformation.

A collection that largely focuses on plot, but ably brings the reader along for its voyage.