Book Review: Bunny by Mona Awad

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn’t be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England’s Warren University. 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 everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies’ fabled “Smut Salon”...

“The poets brace themselves for imminent, overeducated poverty.”

Wickedly funny and deliciously dark, Bunny is a messed up fever dream that I did not want to wake up from!!

It’s best to know as little as possible before starting this one. I really had no clue what was coming, and it was a helluva ride! It gets very dark and pretty brutal at times, there are some violent scenes. However, this contrasts nicely with Awad’s often hilarious writing and the saccharine characters in their beautifully patterned dresses and heart-shaped sunglasses.

There’s lots of “what the fuck just happened” moments and at times when I think back over it, I’m still unsure exactly what was going on at points. This would certainly benefit from a reread in the future! However, Bunny lives up to its reputation of a book described as “The Heathers meets The Craft” - I truly can’t come up with a better selling point than that! I’ve also seen it described as “The Secret History meets Jennifer’s Body”, which also seems absolutely perfect!

Set at an Ivy League university in New England, this ticks a number of boxes in terms of location for me. It’s a book that also seemingly pokes fun at prestigious MFA programs and I feel like Awad has a lot of fun with that!

It won’t be a hit for everyone, but I’m a tad obsessed with this book and would recommend giving it a shot if it appeals to you in any way! One of the most unique and enjoyable books I’ve read this year. 4.5 stars.

Johann

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