spacescape's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This writing on this book is an example of what current creative fiction writers love: intensely-detailed character development (or, as I call it: over-the-top inner mind description). Fleshing out characters is important; writing page after page of a character's likes and dislikes is maddening and a waste of good trees.
This book is an example of why I have a difficult time reading novels. After finishing & reflecting, there is one main character whom didn't need to exist at all, which would have cut out many unnecessary and shock-value pages. A letter to this individual--several pages on its own--could have been struck with it. Additionally, a particular argument between two other main characters is completely nonsensical.
I'll pause here to add some positive things: the setting of a dying Midwest town is perfect (even though a street-level description for part of the town only comes at the end, confusingly). The ideas of gentrification, the Midwest, mental disorders of several varieties, living far too deep in one's own head, drug abuse, and economic challenges are very well-woven into the whole story.
The ultimate frustration is that this novel could be a good 25% shorter, which would have made it better. Longer does not equal better, writers!
This book is an example of why I have a difficult time reading novels. After finishing & reflecting, there is one main character whom didn't need to exist at all, which would have cut out many unnecessary and shock-value pages. A letter to this individual--several pages on its own--could have been struck with it. Additionally, a particular argument between two other main characters is completely nonsensical.
I'll pause here to add some positive things: the setting of a dying Midwest town is perfect (even though a street-level description for part of the town only comes at the end, confusingly). The ideas of gentrification, the Midwest, mental disorders of several varieties, living far too deep in one's own head, drug abuse, and economic challenges are very well-woven into the whole story.
The ultimate frustration is that this novel could be a good 25% shorter, which would have made it better. Longer does not equal better, writers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Addiction, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abandonment and Drug abuse
amanduhhhpls's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was an overwhelming reading experience from start to finish. A trying too hard to be quirky cast of characters, overly purple prose, and a climax of plot centered around every kind of abuse imaginable. I kept expecting all the characters to intersect and the plot to count together and it never did. The more I read, the more disappointed I became.
This lacked any sort of the depth it was obviously trying to have.
If you’re squeamish about animal abuse at all, stay far far FAR away from this. I regret reading it.
This lacked any sort of the depth it was obviously trying to have.
If you’re squeamish about animal abuse at all, stay far far FAR away from this. I regret reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
danaaliyalevinson's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I wanted to like this one. It won the National Book Award. And the first 100 pages I was like, this is genius. And then it was all downhill from there. It's about a group of people all living in the same housing project as they each play a part in a violent event. I thought it got lost in its own too clever by half structure, and then the characters wound up being so underdeveloped that I felt nothing as it hurtled toward the conclusion I saw coming from a mile away. Then there's also this thing I see with a lot of modern fiction writers where it feels like literary fiction by way of Wes Anderson. It's very en vogue. And sometimes it works. But here, I thought it was so wrapped up in its need to be quirky and idiosyncratic that I lost the heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
deedireads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Rabbit Hutch is a visceral, engaging novel with especially good prose. I definitely liked it and thought it was an impressive debut.
For you if: You like literary fiction with a dark tone.
FULL REVIEW:
The Rabbit Hutch is an impressive debut novel that was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction. (It may win; as of the time of this writing, the award hasn’t been announced yet.) It was one of the few books on this year’s longlist that had previously been on my radar, so I was glad for a (good) reason to pick it up. It’s dark, visceral, and at times disturbing, but I thought quite good.
The main character in this book is a former foster child named Blandine who lives with three boys (also former foster children) and idolizes Hildegard of Bingen. However, we also meet (briefly) several of the other tenants who live in The Rabbit Hutch (a low-income housing complex), as well as the son of a recently deceased famous actress. The book opens mid-act of violence and flashes back to the few days leading up to the pivotal moment, plus Blandine’s time in high school.
Some reviewers disliked the use of periphery characters in this book, wanting either more from them or wishing they’d been removed, but I actually really liked it and thought it worked. In many ways they felt atmospheric to me, and I liked the way Gunty used them in the first and last sections to emphasize Blandine’s state at the time. I know some also thought the ending was too tidy, and although it didn’t surprise me, I actually also liked that and thought it was satisfying. Overall I was impressed with how deep we got into Blandine’s mind and character, with just enough touches of how the outside world is complicit in the systems and circumstances that led to not only the violence, but also the ways she responded and coped and changed.
Where Gunty stands out most is in her prose; the sentences are excellent and I found the book overall to be super engaging (I read the whole thing in just a couple of days). It does work quite well on audiobook, but FYI, there are some in-book illustrations you’ll miss if you only experience it in that format.
If you like literary fiction with a dark tone, this could be a good one for you.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Rabbit Hutch is a visceral, engaging novel with especially good prose. I definitely liked it and thought it was an impressive debut.
For you if: You like literary fiction with a dark tone.
FULL REVIEW:
The Rabbit Hutch is an impressive debut novel that was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction. (It may win; as of the time of this writing, the award hasn’t been announced yet.) It was one of the few books on this year’s longlist that had previously been on my radar, so I was glad for a (good) reason to pick it up. It’s dark, visceral, and at times disturbing, but I thought quite good.
The main character in this book is a former foster child named Blandine who lives with three boys (also former foster children) and idolizes Hildegard of Bingen. However, we also meet (briefly) several of the other tenants who live in The Rabbit Hutch (a low-income housing complex), as well as the son of a recently deceased famous actress. The book opens mid-act of violence and flashes back to the few days leading up to the pivotal moment, plus Blandine’s time in high school.
Some reviewers disliked the use of periphery characters in this book, wanting either more from them or wishing they’d been removed, but I actually really liked it and thought it worked. In many ways they felt atmospheric to me, and I liked the way Gunty used them in the first and last sections to emphasize Blandine’s state at the time. I know some also thought the ending was too tidy, and although it didn’t surprise me, I actually also liked that and thought it was satisfying. Overall I was impressed with how deep we got into Blandine’s mind and character, with just enough touches of how the outside world is complicit in the systems and circumstances that led to not only the violence, but also the ways she responded and coped and changed.
Where Gunty stands out most is in her prose; the sentences are excellent and I found the book overall to be super engaging (I read the whole thing in just a couple of days). It does work quite well on audiobook, but FYI, there are some in-book illustrations you’ll miss if you only experience it in that format.
If you like literary fiction with a dark tone, this could be a good one for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Drug use and Alcoholism
Minor: Rape
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