"Love is pain."
Curiouser is a 2020 Surreal Horror short novel by Jada Maze, the first of a planned trilogy.
The plot concerns Aidan Frost, a young Transgender woman on the run after killing her abusive lover. Seeking a place to hide, she ends up on a remote island that hosts a yearly festival inspired by Alice in Wonderland, populated by eccentric masked characters. Little does Aidan realize the horror waiting for her on the island... and little do the islanders know how dangerous she really is.
The entire novel can be read here.
Curiouser contains examples of:
- Agony of the Feet: During her fight with Diana, Aidan steps in broken wine glasses with her bare feet and bleeds profusely.
- Alice Allusion: Dodgson Island celebrates a Wonderland-themed festival during the Cheshire moon; the islanders dress as various Lewis Carroll characters and perform and hobknob for visitors. They're secretly a death-worshiping cult of former mental patients who took over the island after murdering the staff of a secluded mental hospital where they were committed; the festival culminates in the ritual sacrifice of a girl they deem "the Alice."
- Arc Words: "Love is pain."
- Body Surf: The Queen of Hearts' memories are contained in a grotesque mushroom called the Red Memory; the islanders feed it to whichever guest they choose, and the memories override their personality, making her their new Queen. Aidan thinks they've chosen her for the role. They actually want Daisy.
- The Dragon: The Cheshire Cat serves the Queen of Hearts, and directs the other characters.
- Eye Scream: one of the Tweedle Brothers tries forcing himself on Aidan, who he believes is unconscious; she discourages him by driving her thumbs into his eyes.
- Granola Girl: Daisy. She dropped out of college to become a New Age-type massage therapist and frequents alternative gatherings.
- Mad Scientist: Professor Lewis Dodgson turns out to be one; his experiments with mushrooms produce specimens with highly unusual properties, such as powerful hallucinogens and a temporary form of ESP.
- Memory Palace: Aidan is dosed with hallucinogenic tea designed to break her mind; she overcomes it because her mind is organized into a corridor containing her memories behind locked doors, allowing her to keep her thoughts clear.
