By Mona Awad
SPOILER-FREE
Samantha Heather Mackey couldn’t be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England’s Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort–a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other “Bunny,” and seem to move and speak as one.
But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies’ fabled “Smut Salon,” and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door–ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies’ sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus “Workshop” where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.
REVIEW
THEMES: HORROR, THRILLER, TENSE, MEDIUM-PACED.
Samantha Heather Mackey – a student in a competitive MFA programme – has to deal with four peculiar women in her class, who affectionately call each other ‘bunny’. Despite frequently expressing her dislike for the bunnies, she cannot hide her pleasure when she is invited to one of their exclusive hangouts. As someone with few friends, she decides to go. Though, they are everything and nothing like she imagined – it is interesting how one night can push someone so far down the rabbit hole.
Bunny is a novel which I remember in vivid detail – so I can confidently share that it is a book that leaves an impression.
The characters are interesting, though a little cliche (loner who wants to fit in, nonconformist emo/alternative best friend, and a clique of ‘mean’ girls). However, Awad uses the plot of the story to distract from the unoriginal character dynamics – in saying that, with such an intense story, having simpler structures may be better suited. Otherwise, it could become over-the-top and confusing.
Awad has a descriptive writing style and knows how to keep her audience captivated – I read this a while ago and still virtually remember everything that happens, which is rare, as I normally only remember snippets. Everything was so colourful and prominent; it really felt like I was Samantha.
The reason I have given such a low rating is because it is not the type of horror I enjoy – if Awad wrote a horror/thriller in the sub-genre I prefer, I have no doubt I would love it. [I have written my unfiltered opinions on the Spoiler Review, if you wish to read more specifics.]
This book reminds me of Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (which I also was not a big fan of), so if you enjoyed that, then definitely give Bunny a try.
Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.
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