Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Bunny by Mona Awad

180 reviews

shacara_shacara's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Self harm, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Blood, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content

mushroom_frog's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel is incredible. It seems to be misunderstood by a lot of its readers (understandable, considering the myriad of loose ends upon the book's conclusion) but is truly an interesting and gripping story, open to interpretation in a way that is not frustrating but rather liberating.

My understanding of the book is as such:

Samantha Mackey is an undiagnosed schizophrenic, showing signs from an early age (such as her habit to delve too far into her imagination). Most of the book's seemingly supernatural,  eerie or purely confusing elements are the spawn of her internalised and uncontrollable creativity,  as she struggles to write and thus release all of these ideas. By the end, she is free from the Bunnies (a cult whose experiences combined not only the women's abnormal methods of 'Tapping the Wound' but also Samantha's hallucinations) and somewhat aware of her mental illness, as she is enlightened of the fact that Ava was a figment of her imagination, likely as was Max. Yet, Samantha has not entirely come to terms with her state, as is seen with the ending lines where she seems to be speaking to Jonah, but is 'answered' by the mud.

I don't usually write such long reviews but this book had me utterly captivated. Not for those who get want everything to be set out clearly from start to finish, and dislike loose ends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Gore, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Grief

enyltiak's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I understand why this is one of those books you either love or hate. I definitely enjoyed it. I also think it's just a very strong experimental piece of literature, regardless of enjoyment. It's weird and a bit confusing, but a very interesting critique on the nature of art and its study—the repeated mention of the Work, the Body, the Performance, etc ring really true as a creative writing major (and former illustration major/art school attendee). Once you finish reading it, you really need to take a step back from it and see the whole picture.

Samantha, her imagination and creativity, and her fully-formed and fleshed out creations are juxtaposed with the work of the Bunnies and the trite nature of their stories—beautiful but lacking in depth and completion, not much beneath the shiny surface. Some of that's really on the nose (the diamond proems, my god!) but it's subtle enough under all the weird that some people will certainly miss it, especially other rich, pretentious artists who simply want to join the Bunnies on their mission. 

The writing style was something I really enjoyed; you truly feel as though you are alongside Samantha for this wild trip, woozing in and out of understanding as she does, feeling her feelings. It felt as though it truly was written in Samantha's writing style, as though this was the prose she was working on throughout the timeline of the novel, at least based on the comments made by the Bunnies and Fosco in their Workshop. An undeniably fascinating entry in the "dark academia" canon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Death, Drug use, Gore, Classism, Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Death of parent

bookyanna's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. It's a very weird fantasy-fairy-tale-realism-horror hybrid. I can't with complete certainity describe the plot, largely because the narrator has a very twisted conception of reality/fantasy. I can't figure out if it's a commentary on female friendships (problematic if so), studying artistic disciplines at elitist univerisities, or losing oneself to art. Ultimately, I think Awad is toying with the reader and satirising her own writing style/process, but who can really say? Nevertheless I enjoyed the writing in the sense that it really clearly evoked the mental state of the narrator, and her perception of the world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

trackingmothman's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Classism, Alcohol, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Violence

bubblyfemme's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really liked this book but it missed the mark at the end by being so godamn confusing. 

I liked the blunt, kind of brutal writing style and some of the themes of art school elitism and the absolute waffle that some artists spew (I study English/creative writing, and it is sometimes ridiculous.) 

However at times it was giving ‘not like other girls’ with their tiny little cakes and frillily pink dresses and how that was oh so bad. Also, I know magical realism doesn't always explain the unexplainable, but there was too many questions left completely unanswered at the end. especially the twist which also felt slightly too unexplained to actually make sense and instead just there for shock value.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Murder, Body horror, Drug use, and Death

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual content

luckythenoun's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Classism

jetromeo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Animal death

Moderate: Classism, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Alcohol, and Self harm

Minor: Death of parent and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

tillynancy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Drug abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence

sophiaxscherm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book especially since the story always keeps you on the edge of your seat because you never know what is going to happen next. I love love love the author's writing style, the character descriptions at the beginning of the book had me read five times in a row just because I loved the images they painted. 

What I kind of disliked, however, is how the story unfolds. The first two parts focus on the bunnies and their strange disturbing workshops and how Samantha gets involved in it and I think I would have lovet it more if it kept focussing on that and go more into depth with that. I was still intrigued in the whole thing with Ava and Max and stuff but I kind of feel like the other story line got pushed to the back too much too soon. I also feel like it would have been better to have gained some more explanation about well anything up until the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Murder, and Drug use