Author(s): Alice Tawhai

Novel | Aotearoa Fiction | Lawrence & Gibson

Aljce in Therapy Land is the first novel from Alice Tawhai. She is best known for her short story collections Dark Jelly, Luminous and Festival of Miracles (all released through Huia). This story traverses workplace bullying, online relationships and stoned friendships, with a good measure of Wonderland added in.

“On her first day the sky had a salmon tint to it; after the rain, and before the cloud entirely cleared, as if it had been put into a washing machine with roses. Someone was probably really annoyed at the way they had run. Aljce parked in the asphalt car park outside the Therapy Hub. She was looking forward to her new job. It would be an exciting adventure with new challenges.”

Aljce in Therapy Land is the first novel from Alice Tawhai. She is best known for her short story collections Dark Jelly, Luminous (shortlisted for the Montana Book Awards for Fiction (2008)), and Festival of Miracles (all released through Huia).

This story traverses workplace bullying, online relationships and stoned friendships, with a good dose of Wonderland added in.

“The power of Tawhai’s writing is in its simplicity and dreamlike quality. The dialogue saunters out of people’s mouths, full of colloquialisms. While much of the language is everyday, it’s spangled with metaphor and poetry,” wrote Philippa Jamieson in the NZ Listener.

“Aljce in Therapy Land is both hilarious and distressing. It captures workplace relationships and power imbalances like few novels from Aotearoa do. Tawhai was already one of the best short story writers around, but she has written a one-of-a-kind novel.” Brannavan Gnanalingam, contributing editor at Lawrence & Gibson.

“This book will sneak up on you. Aljce in Therapy Land is as much about the way small towns wax and wane as it is about how workplaces can take what ought to be good practice into some very bad places. Tawhai’s skill is in ignoring the three-act structure but still making the reader ultimately side with the titular character.” Murdoch Stephens, founding editor at Lawrence & Gibson.

Alice Tawhai is a pen name for an author who prefers to let her writing speak for itself.