Thursday, August 13, 2020

Book Review: Bunny By: Mona Awad

 "Kira pats my back, the handle of the bloodied ax still in her little fist.
'Welcome to Workshop, Bunny'" 

Book Title: Bunny
Author: Mona Awad
PAPERBACK
Amount of Pages: 305
Release Date: June 11, 2019
From: Bookstore





Summary (From the back of the book): A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, Samantha Heather Mackey is utterly repelled by the rest of her graduate fiction writing cohort at New England's elite Warren University: a clique of unbearably saccharine yet sinister rich girls who call each other "Bunny" and seem to move and speak as one. 

But everything changes when Samatha 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 Samatha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' world and begins to take part in their monstrous experiments, the edges of realities begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the bunnies will be brought into deadly collision. 

Wdebo's Review: After seeing so much praise for the book and receiving a glowing recommendation from the girl behind the counter who rung up my book, I was very excited to start it. However, maybe it was because of the heavy buildup I was given but although I enjoyed it, I don't think I did to the degree I was promised.   

The whole book was pretty much like some sort of weird fever dream. It starts out slow and slightly pretentious with its unnecessarily flowery and sometimes difficult to follow speech. Suddenly it bops you on the forehead with its introduction of the Bunnies' activities and starts jerking you back and forth with wild fantasies and situations. I do have to state that the conclusion was not something I saw coming. I appreciated it because that does not happen to me often. It was still enjoyable even though I shut the book thinking "what the fuck just happened?"

The characters themselves were not too memorable, all slight caricatures of themselves. But maybe that's the point? A satire of these stock characters we consistency see within literature. The throng of mean girls who are so unattainable it is presented in a supernatural light. An awkward, bumbling and at times antisocial protagonist who brings to light all of the insecurities inside of ourselves. And finally a dark, brooding girl who acts distant but is essentially very needy. Samatha herself is not the most likable protagonist but the journey she takes us through was, in a word, fascinating. 

Cafe Cover Chit Chat: I like the simplicity of the cover and its contrasting colors. Also a fan of the font - it's soft and sharp all at once. (B+) 

All in all, an at times confusing but others deliciously fun read. Don't go into it with any expectations but just enjoy the ride it ends up taking you on. 

Grade: B+

Wdebo :)