READER’S FORUM

July 2, 2026 at 10:15 am Reply

Elvira

Dear Mr. Korman,

My name is Elvira, and I work with teenagers, helping them explore literature through discussion and interpretation rather than searching for ready-made answers.

We are currently reading Restart, and one of our discussions led us to an intriguing question.

The mysterious girl in the blue dress immediately reminded us of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. At first, we noticed the visual similarity. But as we continued reading, the parallels seemed to grow.

Alice falls into a new world and repeatedly asks herself, "Who am I?" Chase falls from the roof, loses his memory, and wakes up in what feels like another world—a world where he must ask the very same question: "Who am I, if I remember nothing about myself?"

This made us wonder whether the image of the girl in blue might be a subtle literary echo of Alice, inviting readers to see Chase's journey not simply as a story about amnesia, but as a journey of identity and self-discovery.

Of course, we know that readers sometimes discover meanings that go beyond an author's conscious intentions. We are not looking for the "correct" interpretation. We are simply curious: was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland somewhere in the background of your imagination while writing Restart, or is this connection something that belongs entirely to the readers?

One of the greatest pleasures of reading with teenagers is watching them discover connections between contemporary novels and stories that have been part of our culture for generations.

Thank you for writing books that invite this kind of conversation.

With best wishes,

Elvira
July 2, 2026 at 09:38 pm Reply

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Hi,Elvira,

Thanks for posting.

Alice in Wonderland? Sorry, not at all. Right from the start, the little girl in blue was a copy of a famous painting by Renoir, with a little girl in blue standing in a garden. I actually think it was Renoir's son, but he turned the figure into a girl for purposes of his painting. It was later explained in the book that it had been a painting on the wall of the house across the way that Chase saw while he was falling.

Hope RESTART was a hit! Thanks again for reaching out. -----Gordon Korman-----
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Hi,Elvira,

Thanks for posting.

Alice in Wonderland? Sorry, not at all. Right from the start, the little girl in blue was a copy of a famous painting by Renoir, with a little girl in blue standing in a garden. I actually think it was Renoir's son, but he turned the figure into a girl for purposes of his painting. It was later explained in the book that it had been a painting on the wall of the house across the way that Chase saw while he was falling.

Hope RESTART was a hit! Thanks again for reaching out. -----Gordon Korman-----