Bunny: A Novel

Spoilers aheadI can't believe people think this book is literal. It's completely obvious that Samantha is schizophrenic. She hears voices, sees people that aren't there, and her thoughts are a tangle of nonsense.Ava is a figment of her imagination, someone she made up in response to trauma. Ava wears a black veil over her face, and wears gloves like the Hybrids do. Samantha is losing her mind throughout the book, her delusions getting crazier and more vivid.My mother is Paranoid Schizophrenic, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about this mental illness. She's doing better now, but there were years and years of her seeing crazy things like rainbow helicopters over her house, claiming they were dumping drugs on her house. She saw people following her. She talked to people who weren't there. She saw people in her front yard who had been dead for years. Their minds are total fantasy.The Bunnies see Ava and speak to her because they don't exist either. They are most likely real women in her Grad program workshop that her mind morphed into delusion.Her old professor who she got close to most likely stopped communicating with her because he saw her mental illness emerging.Samantha is in an incredibly difficult writing program and the stress is causing her mental break. These "Drafts" are obviously her failed attempts at writing. They keep "killing their darlings," which is a very common term in writing.People in the writing community (agents, editors, etc) love this book because they "get it." Someone who knows nothing about writing and isn't well read don't understand it and call it stupid and confusing. It's too advanced of a novel for the general public. That's the mistake. An editor should've realized that and made things a bit more obvious. I'm an author, so I get it.

"Bunny" by Mona Awad is a hypnotically strange and darkly funny novel that weaves together themes of loneliness, belonging, and the power of imagination. Following Samantha Heather Mackey, an outsider in her elite MFA program at Warren University, readers are introduced to a protagonist who feels utterly out of place among her pretentious and wealthy peers. The all-female clique known as the Bunnies, with their insufferable charm and twisted rituals, represents everything Samantha despises—until an invitation to their exclusive "Smut Salon" lures her in, forcing her to confront her prejudices and desires.As Samantha becomes increasingly entangled in the Bunnies' sinister yet intoxicating world, the novel blurs the lines between reality and imagination, creating a chilling atmosphere filled with ritualistic creativity and emotional turmoil. Awad's sharp prose and biting humor highlight the complexities of female friendships and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of seemingly innocent interactions. "Bunny" invites readers down a rabbit hole of enchantment and horror, culminating in a riveting exploration of the lengths one will go to fit in or escape loneliness. This provocative tale challenges conventional notions of identity and community, making it a compelling read for those drawn to unique and daring narratives.

BUNNY by Mona AwadThis book is bizarre as hell. I can only describe it as a wild, disturbing, pastel-colored fever dream with sinister bunnies running amok.Samantha is a grad student at a prestigious university somewhere in New England. In her writing workshop there’s a clique of four rich, pretentious women who call each other Bunny. Samantha is equally repelled and intrigued by them. When Samantha receives an invite to one of Bunnies’ “Smut Salon” parties, she decides to attend despite her better judgment. That’s when the plot (and Samantha’s mental health/stream of consciousness) goes completely off the rails.I had many questions while reading this. Mainly, “WTF?” and lots of “What the hell is happening?”. The scenes of the Bunnies fake-praising each other’s work, while eating mini foods and conjuring hybrid bunny-boys was all sorts of weird and demented.I don't have any personal experience with hard drugs, but I assume this is what an acid trip would feel like. It’s a bit like Alice in Wonderland mashed up with Heathers and Mean Girls. There’s amusing, anti-establishment commentary at the beginning which I enjoyed. A little satire sprinkled with a bit of horror, if you’re into to that sort of thing.Ultimately, you’ll either love or hate this book. As for me, I’m… somewhere in the middle.Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️