Review: Bunny, by Mona Awad

Title: Bunny

Author: Mona Awad

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Genre: Horror 

Date of Publication: June 11th, 2019

Number of Pages: 375

See it on Goodreads: Bunny

Summary

We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other. Seriously. Bunny.

Samantha Heather Mackey is an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at Warren University. In fact, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort – a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other 'Bunny'.

But then the Bunnies issue her with an invitation and Samantha finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door, across the threshold, and down their rabbit hole.

Blending sharp satire with fairytale horror, Bunny is a spellbinding trip of a novel from one of fiction's most original new voices.

Review - Hop into a Horror Dreamscape

For the past couple of years, Bunny has been one of the most talked about books that you either love or hate. Plus, it's taken the reputation of a super weird book, an element that made it an extremely intriguing novel for me. In fact, it was probably the book I was most excited to read from my horror TBR for this fall. 

Now that I have, I can confidently say that I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't that life-changing of an experience. The thing about it, though, is that I'm unsure of what to say about it - and probably that's why I haven't written a review after so many says of finishing it. 

In Bunny, we are following Samantha, who is attending a super prestigious MFA program. Samantha is taking part in a workshop, along four other women, the Bunnies. This is what they call one another, and they are definitely dinstict with their ultra-feminine appearances, and seamingly adoration for each other. During the workshop, Samantha feels left out, and overly creeped out by the Bunnies' behavior. One day, Samantha receives an invatation to that Smut Salon, a Bunnies' gathering. From that moment on, she gets deeper and deeper inside into their world and the weirdness it includes.

First things first, I must say that this is the perfect book for fall, especially if you are into dark academia. The writing is exquisite - not only it appears, but it is intelligent. It's probably because of the writing that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. And how much I loved all those writing-related puns, like "Don't worry, Bunny, they tell me, patting all my hands, which they found so, so easily. First Drafts. Part of the Process. Sometimes you have to kill your darlings, you know? If fact, that's what we sometimes call them. Darlings."

Another thing that Bunny managed to capture amazingly is the pretentiousness it exists in such a program, or an art school in general. If you didn't know, I studied audiovisual arts, so I spent 5 years in such an environment. All of the conversations about art, creativity, the Process, even the Body and the Gestures that the Bunnies mention, sounded very familiar to me. I'm pretty sure that I've had similar conversations during class, and I was picturing people I knew using the same words. And this book also had an important conversation about how those who have money can attend these super prestigious art programs. 

Storywise, though, is where Bunny felt short for me. Part 1 felt a bit slow, but it was the setup, so I pushed though. Part 2 was the most interesting part for me, and I thought that it could only go up from there. But Part 3 came as a disappointment, even though it did have some pretty good twists. 

As much as I think about it, I come to the conclusion that what bothered me the most in the story was the fact that what broke the Bunnies was a guy. Of course, we could tell that all the love and attachment they showed to one another was yet another performance for them, just like their process. But it was disappointing to see their true feelings reach the surface after they got a little attention from a guy (even though I have to admit that the scene in their last session in the Cave was a enjoy to read).

The other thing is that I have very mixed feelings about Samantha as a character. It felt like she assumed the role of the odd one out. I really don't mind unlikeable characters in books, but in this case, Samantha didn't even try. She wasn't friendly to anyone and attitude felt like she thought she was better than all of them, at least the Bunnies.

When it comes to the actual horror, I would have liked more. I would want Part 3 to have gore, it would be so fitting. Even without more gore though, I would still need some more explanation of how the Bunnies can do what they do. Explain the Process, if you will.

In conclusion, I think that the hype played a big role in my disappointment. Do I regret reading Bunny? Not at all. Would I read We Love You, Bunny though? Not really. I think that the dynamic between the Bunnies becomes apparent in the book, and I would like to keep some abiguity in their relationship. I feel like if I actually learn their backstory, Bunny would be lessened for me. Would I recommend this book? Well, yes. But I would recommend that you temper your expectations, and don't let the hype cloud your judgement. 

Read more of my reviews here.