Bunny by Mona Awad (2020)

Bunny by Mona Awad (2020)

A twisted and surreal commentary on wealth, privilege, isolation, and the writing process. 

Laura’s Rating: 2/5 Stars

Plot: Samantha Mackey is a bit of an outsider in her exclusive MFA program in New England. Her fellow students are cliquey rich girls that affectionately call each other “Bunny”. Samantha and her friend Ava are repulsed by the Bunnies, until Samatha gets an invitation to hang out with them, that is. Samantha then tumbles into the clique’s world of the sickly sweet mixed with previously unknown horror.

Analysis: The book starts out feeling like Mean Girls with a weird outsider being welcomed into the exclusive popular girl clique. There are obvious influences from The Secret History as well, placing the novel in the dark academia category. But then it takes a sharp turn.

The book was slow paced and a little boring toward the beginning. It then went from boring to utterly insane with little transition. Most of the book felt like a chaotic fever dream. Suspending disbelief is one thing, but this book seemed quite unbelievable even within its own context. The cast of characters, specifically the Bunnies, are impossible to keep track of (probably intentional, but difficult to read). The only likable character is Jonah, and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why he keeps talking to Samantha. 

I’ve seen analysis that claims the book is an allegory for the writing and drafting process, which actually intrigues me. Through that lens, the book has some smart elements and I like the symbolism. However, I think a good book must function on two levels: at the surface and with deeper analysis. The surface story of this book is just a little too outrageous for me to enjoy. I’d only recommend Bunny if you like weird books that require outside the box thinking and analysis.