Girl going back in familiar alcove (5)
I believe the answer is:
clara
'girl' is the definition.
'going back in familiar alcove' is the wordplay.
'going back' is a reversal indicator.
'in' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'aralc' is hidden in the letters of 'familiar alcove'.
'aralc' back-to-front is 'CLARA'.
(Other definitions for clara that I've seen before include "Schumann" , "Butt" , "Home town of the Taoiseach" , "Woman" , "-- Bow, silent film actress" .)