Bunny

Bunny by Mona Awad (2019) With many contemporary novels, I’m drawn to them because I hear an interview with the author—and while I like most authors in their interviews, you never know how you’re going to respond to their books. I liked this book right away because it’s funny and weird—and I aligned with the sensibility—and I liked the main character, Samantha—I related to her. Then I realized it’s about my favorite subject—writers in a university writing program. I don’t know why I love that setup so much—maybe because I never was in a writing program—and I somewhat regret it—but also, I find the whole idea both attractive and repulsive, almost equally. I was in an undergrad arts program—though it was a very positive experience—but I can always relate to tension in stories like this, and the feeling of being in a privileged position but still being an outsider. In this case, it’s a very exclusive New England school—a fictional one, maybe based on somewhere—I don’t know, but it’s an extreme version to the point of sometimes sounding nightmarish—at least from Samantha’s point of view. For me to describe even a little bit of the plot of the novel would be pointless, and a disservice to the book (I mean, even more than that’s usually the case)—and, also to a potential reader. So, I’ll just say that I really liked it, I got caught up in it, it was scary and fun, somewhat disturbing, definitely satisfying. It starts right out being pretty extreme, but it’s worth just going with it—it keeps you off-balance and confused, even as you uncover the secrets.

2.13.24