Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Bunny

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.

Content Warnings

izypup's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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enyltiak's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

strawberry333's review against another edition

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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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emmatram's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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bubblyfemme's review against another edition

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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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