A review by oribee25
Bunny by Mona Awad

challenging dark reflective tense 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

4.5

I felt like I was in a fever dream the entire time I was reading it, Awad has the ability to throw you into to a  world that you think you know, but is just not right. I really enjoyed the general premise of the book, the darkness and the complexity as well as exploration of femininity and desire. I think this book lacked some depth that would’ve made Samantha a character that I would’ve connected with.

The loose mentions of her father just being absent and her mother being dead made it feel like we were supposed to connected with Samantha as a traumatized and sad character, but the development of said trauma felt rushed and brushed over. I greatly enjoy the interpretation of the book being about the ability of writers making characters, but for me I feel like Awad was delving into the ideas of desire. We are presented with the Bunnies who are shallow, juxtaposed with Samantha who is a deep thinker and feeler, and that is only represented in the “darlings” they create. The Bunnies darlings are flawed and shallow, and show that these young women are not capable of love and desire outside of a general aesthetic and sex; whereas Samantha creates two “darlings” unknowingly that are both drawn from deep desire and therefore they are complex. Ava represents Samantha’s desire for companionship and reflects the deep desire of a homoerotic relationship that many queer people understand, and Max reflects Samantha’s desire for rage and vengeance that she does not feel strong enough to perform by herself. 

Awad’s use of characterized writing really makes you feel Samantha’s character which I wish was more fledged out, but ultimately this book is genius.