Bunny by Mona Awad

on


 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 out of 5 stars | Genre: Horror / Magic Realism 

What Did I Just Read?! Bunny by Mona Awad, Explained (Kind Of)

🐰 What the Heck Happened in Bunny?

Samantha Mackey is your stereotypical MFA outsider—sharp-witted, socially awkward, and utterly not into the clique of hyper‑feminine writing students nicknamed the Bunnies. Think satin dresses, cult vibes, and way too many disturbing “drafting parties.” Enter the surreal: these Bunnies literally murder rabbits and revive them as men—their so-called Darlings. 

Samantha (Sam) reluctantly joins their Smut Salon—a bizarre ritual where reality and fantasy fuse into one hallucinogenic buffet. She meets charming yet strange figures: Ava (her fierce childhood bestie), the mute “Lion,” mysterious Max, and poetic Jonah (Sam’s crush).

🔍 As things escalate, identities slip. Ava might be a hallucination, the Bunnies may not be human, and the creation of “hybrids” is so freaky that your kitchen sink might start questioning its life choices. Sam wonders: is this fantasy, schizophrenia, or just insane creative-writing gone wrong?

And yes—there’s a bus scene where Sam sees a flyer on schizophrenia, and the hallucinatory vibe intensifies. By the end, even Jonah might be mental projection, not real life.

😂 My Two Cents: A Hot Mess, Beautifully Told

  • Pro: Mona Awad writes gorgeously—the prose is sharp, eerie, emotionally resonant.

  • Con: The story is... wildly disjointed. I suspect the author just “made random stuff happen,” then called it magical realism.

  • Neutral: The fan theories? Entertaining, yes—like decoding Lost—but let’s be honest: Mona probably didn’t pre-plan every twist. I rate it 3/5—fun, but mostly confusing.

⭐️ Highlights & Lowlights

✅ What I Liked ⚠️ What Didn’t Work
Gothic‑satire of creative writing             The rabbit‑to‑boy rituals are 🥴 weird
Creepy imagery & Nietzsche vibes             The plot MEANDERS with no map
Emotional honesty in the bizarre             I had no clue what was real or not

📚 Read If You Love:

  • Heathers‑inspired dark comedies

  • Satire of academic/creative cliques

🔗 Buy It (If You’re Brave) 

  • Paperback – enjoy the feast of weird on physical pages

  • Kindle – perfect for reading anywhere (midnight hallucinations not included)

  • Audible – narrator nails all the eerie tone

📖 Related Reads You Might Love (or Loathe):

  • The Secret History by Donna Tartt – posh evil students + bizarre rituals

  • My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh – hallucinatory and unreliable-narrator driven

  • Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – gothic horror with gorgeous prose

  • The Girls by Emma Cline – cult vibes with emotional punch

💭 Final Thoughts

Bunny is a literary acid-trip that looks like MFA satire, sounds like horror, and leaves you questioning everything—including your own brain. If you're into deconstructed creative cliques, metaphors so literal they explode (rabbit heads, anyone?), and platitudes about killing your darlings, this is your jam.

Did Mona write a masterpiece—or just scatter‑brained surrealism? Probably a masterclass in weirdness. But if you're like me and prefer some sense of narrative, it’s a thrilling trainwreck best enjoyed with a strong cup of sanity.

Liked this chaotic ride?
Check out my funny yet thoughtful take on The Strangers (Greystone Secrets #1) or my darkly charming review of The Last Letter from Your Lover!

Let me know which rabbit head you’re most creeped out by 👀

*This page includes affiliate links.

Comments

Post a Comment