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A review by l_arand
Bunny by Mona Awad
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
holy fucking shit. that’s the only thing that came to mind after i finished this book. i had to sit in silence because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
anyways, i’ve decided that i love mona awad. here’s the plot of her book bunny: samantha mackey, our complex and struggling protagonist is a part of the first all-female fiction writing cohort at her prestigious graduate school. however, the other students in her group are grossly attached to one another, often described to be partaking in “bone crushing hugs,” and squeal in excitement when they see each other. they call themselves and one another bunny in an affectionate way. samantha is not a bunny, so she’s ostracized from her cohort and professor, who’s enamored with them and their writing ability. this changes when the bunnies start showing interest in her work during class, and invite her to join one of their “smut salons.” she becomes swept up in the bunnies’ world and begins to drift from her only friend, a rebellious and beautiful woman named ava.
this whole world and samantha’s narration pulled me into this book and wouldn’t let me go. towards the end, i was reading it in a frenzy because i just HAD to know what happened. you really feel like you’re in samantha’s position, you can feel her lethargy, fear, and confusion. i’ve seen many people complain about her as a character, which is fair, but she’s not meant to be this perfect, loving graduate student. she’s flawed, she lets herself wallow, and is still processing some family trauma (and i know damn well if a male protagonist had all of these attributes, the readers would be all over him, but that’s a rant for another day). another aspect of this book that i loved was that we got to see how her relationships with the bunnies were changing, seeing as she goes from calling them by the nicknames she assigned to them (cupcake, creepy doll, vingnette, and duchess) to their respective names: caroline, kira, victoria, and eleanor. it was a nice touch on top of already immersive writing.
this book explores themes of creation, loneliness, poor mental health, and the disaster that can come from those combining (and in samantha’s case, in the most horrible way possible).
bunny left me speechless and wanting to know more about samantha, but this is one ambiguous ending that i’ve actually liked. this book is definitely confusing and leaves you wondering “what the hell did i just read” but i would give anything to read it for the first time again.
also, i loved ava and jonah. i know ava was not real and by the ending, i don’t think jonah was either, but i was rooting for both of them. i just want someone to make samantha happy and feel like she belongs, because that’s what she deserves.
anyways, i’ve decided that i love mona awad. here’s the plot of her book bunny: samantha mackey, our complex and struggling protagonist is a part of the first all-female fiction writing cohort at her prestigious graduate school. however, the other students in her group are grossly attached to one another, often described to be partaking in “bone crushing hugs,” and squeal in excitement when they see each other. they call themselves and one another bunny in an affectionate way. samantha is not a bunny, so she’s ostracized from her cohort and professor, who’s enamored with them and their writing ability. this changes when the bunnies start showing interest in her work during class, and invite her to join one of their “smut salons.” she becomes swept up in the bunnies’ world and begins to drift from her only friend, a rebellious and beautiful woman named ava.
this whole world and samantha’s narration pulled me into this book and wouldn’t let me go. towards the end, i was reading it in a frenzy because i just HAD to know what happened. you really feel like you’re in samantha’s position, you can feel her lethargy, fear, and confusion. i’ve seen many people complain about her as a character, which is fair, but she’s not meant to be this perfect, loving graduate student. she’s flawed, she lets herself wallow, and is still processing some family trauma (and i know damn well if a male protagonist had all of these attributes, the readers would be all over him, but that’s a rant for another day). another aspect of this book that i loved was that we got to see how her relationships with the bunnies were changing, seeing as she goes from calling them by the nicknames she assigned to them (cupcake, creepy doll, vingnette, and duchess) to their respective names: caroline, kira, victoria, and eleanor. it was a nice touch on top of already immersive writing.
this book explores themes of creation, loneliness, poor mental health, and the disaster that can come from those combining (and in samantha’s case, in the most horrible way possible).
bunny left me speechless and wanting to know more about samantha, but this is one ambiguous ending that i’ve actually liked. this book is definitely confusing and leaves you wondering “what the hell did i just read” but i would give anything to read it for the first time again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Violence