Bunny

By: Mona Awad

The essence of both female rage and yearning seems to have been injected into the storyline of Bunny. The hypnotic events that take place are a sickening mix of Mean Girls and Suspiria, with the Christian Slater reference drawing in some traits from the classic Heathers. Despite this familiar foundation, the plot of “cult-ish girl power” is uniquely written and completely captivating. Awad did a fantastic job of giving all the women substance, especially in terms of their expansive literary and pop culture knowledge. This connected the modernity of the environment with some of the more archaic themes residing in the plot.

I believe the academic setting elevated the novel for me; the satirical elements were heightened by the intellectual inclusions of writing salons and creative writing cohorts.However, my favorite descriptions in Bunny had to be about the men…all I can say is that it is written “for the female gaze.”

I was able to complete this book in under 24 hours. Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon album played on repeat, and I think it really fits as background music. I found that the introspection of the main character worked well to develop the fever dream I was in as a reader, leaving me unable to put the novel down. Just something to note—the idea of facades is prevalent in the people, location, and characters’ writings, eventually leading to a few plot twists. If you decide to read Bunny, please know it is graphic and gruesome, and definitely more in the realm of adult fiction. I normally do not pick up books that are so emotionally charged, but the pleasant reading experience Mona Awad has given me with this one has changed my mind (and reading list) for the future.