Splintered

A.G. Howard’s Splintered reimagines Lewis Carroll’s classic tales through a contemporary young adult lens. The story centers on Alyssa Gardner, a teenager who learns she belongs to a lineage of Alices. Following her mother’s sudden death, Alyssa is pulled into a surreal realm that functions as both a literal destination and a reflection of her unresolved grief. Howard uses the familiar architecture of Wonderland to examine inherited identity, the tension between sanity and imagination, and the process of navigating adolescent loss. Rather than prioritizing whimsical adventure, the novel treats its fantastical setting as a psychological landscape where recurring characters and creatures mirror Alyssa’s internal conflicts. The narrative grounds Carroll’s literary legacy in modern emotional realism, offering a meditation on how personal history and inherited stories shape resilience. By intertwining classic fantasy motifs with contemporary coming-of-age concerns, the work establishes a distinct approach to literary retelling that emphasizes memory, loyalty, and self-definition.