Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad
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Web ID: 15843461A fever dream of a book
3.5 what I loved The writing was spectacular, vivid descriptions that set the scene so well and created a truly moody, atmospheric tone. The story reminded me of both The Craft and Heathers, with a side of Mean Girls. But on much darker, more intense levels. Samantha is the outlier, as present in the three movies I mentioned, while the Bunnies are the “in” group. Despite her disdain of them, and their overly cutesie affectations, there’s little question that she’s still curious about them. The book is set at what seems to be a rather pretentious university in New England, the kind of academic world that looks down at other institutions from a position of arrogant self-importance. The Bunnies and Samantha are cohorts in the MFA program, one loftily touted as “experimental.” There is a very clear sense of academic snobbery going on here, which truly feeds the darker aspects. As for the rest of the book, it’s very much open to interpretation, which may not be everyone’s reading cup of tea but is something I enjoy. It reads like a fever dream, with neither Samantha nor the reader really ever knowing what’s real and what isn’t, what’s little more than a hallucination or a figment of an active imagination. Even some of the characters within the story… are they real or imagined/hallucinated? Arguments could be made in either direction. Honestly, most crucial aspects of the story could be interpreted either way, including their Workshop creations. Are they real, or are they metaphors for creativity? what I didn’t love The YA subtext to the dynamic between Samantha and the Bunnies. The outlier becomes part of the popular group, leaves it, comes back, leaves again. And then revenge against one another ensues, with the heroine getting the final word. That felt a little juvenile for those who were supposed to be masters-level academics. As was the plethora of woman-on-woman hate that was impetus for most everything that happened. Before her induction into the group, Samantha was incredibly judgmental of them. And the Bunnies sugarcoated all their nastiness in “suggestions” and “advice.” But what really got me was the walk down stereotypical lane. The truth of what their monstrous creations, as touted in the summary, were, why they were created. I won’t spoil it, but it was a disappointment for me. As was the fact that it was, in fact, a man that finally unraveled everything. That’s what it boiled down to, a group of women whose dynamic fell apart over a man. It felt like a monstrous betrayal to the fever dream of the rest of the book. overall This is a book that I feel could be read over and over again, and each time the reader would interpret it differently. Because of that, I want to read it again in the future to see if my experience with it changes. And despite the things I didn’t love about it, I think I would still highly recommend it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A mind bending dark academia/horror
I realized towards the end of the book that it was published on my birthday so I think the best way to describe this book in one sentence is….This book is a Gemini. I feel like the author had a horrible fever dream nightmare, woke up and just started writing. But in the best way possible. I was expecting a sorority-like, hazing, dark academia. What I got was a hauntingly original narrative that pushes boundaries and combines elements of surrealism, horror, dark academia and satire. This left me feeling confused, intrigued, and over all disturbed. There is no denying with as confused as I was for 99.9% of this book … the writing was spectacularly brilliant. You are completely immersed into this dark world with an incredible amount of detail about the characters. The “Bunnies” exist within their own bubble of shared weirdness and codependency, and Samantha—initially an outsider—is both repelled and fascinated by their magnetic presence. This book is definitely not going to be for everyone. Some will be captivated by its offbeat energy and the way it unpacks the inner workings of social cliques, while others might find its surrealism off-putting. Ultimately, this is a book that resists easy interpretation. It’s bizarre, unsettling, and immensely thought-provoking, providing a deeper dive into human nature and the complex relationships we carry.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book, just not for me
I personally couldn’t get into the book but the writing is amazing and a plot twist was unexpected but this wasn’t a book for me as this was a thriller/horror book and I am used to more realistic books, but it was still really good.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Jaw Dropping
The switch between the tone in the narrative when situations changed, the questions asked, how the questions are answered, I LOVED this book! It gave A24 horror movie
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
such a weird & eerie book
This book is weird and eerie in so many ways. The writing is excellent, and the characters are interesting and so memorable (even minor ones like Jonah). The group of girls that our main girl Samantha is drawn to (the Bunnies) seem like your stereotypical clique of rich girls, up until a certain point that is. Chapter 11 is the turning point, and the weirdness doesn't let up after that. The ending is pretty open ended, and makes you reconsider everything that happened up until that point. How much was any of it real? Was it an illusion? Perhaps just a metaphor? Maybe a mix of all three. Because of this vagueness, & how it all concluded (the friendship with Ava, the conflict with the Bunnies, etc.), the book was a bit of a let down for me. Still, the language is gorgeous, and there are many passages that you'd want to reread. Your enjoyment might depend on how well you tolerate abstract writing and vague endings.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3.5 stars
BUNNY by Mona Awad This 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 ⭐️
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Twisted little page turner
Sick and twisted but so good I read it very quickly.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Trippy Horror
I did like this book. It's confusing as heck because of the trippy things that happen--the main character Smackie, an English grad student with a huge inferiority complex, is also a highly unreliable narrator. But her imagination kicks in big time as she bleeds out her tale of woe while trying to fit in with the rich girls on campus, who reach out to include her after several semesters of treating her like an other. And she is an other--the horror elements are a fantastic and bizarre flip to a Stepford Wives ideal, but the love story, the real love story that makes Samantha the "other", is the reason to keep reading. You could argue that there are similarities to plenty of stories out there, such as Mean Girls or Heathers (movies are stories too), or the obvious nods to Alice in her Wonderland. But the telling of this bunny horror fairytale is weird and unique and original in a good way, too. Check it out horror fans. It's definitely one to include in your library.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com