The Publishers Weekly Review
This gleefully macabre companion to Awad’s hit novel Bunny returns readers to the surreal world of the Warren University MFA program and covers events before and after the original
Told largely from the perspectives of the Bunnies—a group of four unsettlingly synchronized female fiction writers who were students at Warren—this installment zeroes in on the group’s origin story. The Bunnies take turns recounting how they “broke reality and basically reinvented the laws of the natural world,” as they hold former classmate Samantha Mackey—now a successful author—captive in the attic that once served as their creative sanctum.
Midway through, their voices give way to that of Aerius, the chiseled, moody young man the Bunnies conjured from a rabbit. Known as their “first draft,” Aerius looks like “Hollywood’s latest Leading Man” and embodies the Bunnies’ collective fantasies. Unlike their subsequent boy-bunny hybrids (the Darlings of the first book), Aerius has working genitalia and human hands. “We must Possess you,” the Bunnies tell their naïve creation.
Awad’s prose remains as biting as ever, skillfully oscillating between the lyrical and the absurd. Readers need not be familiar with Bunny to appreciate this outing, though fans will relish the deepened mythology and twisted callbacks.
This bold satire breaks exciting new ground in the Bunny universe.
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Reading Red Review: We Love You, Bunny
Mona Awad has established herself as one of the most prominent names in strange and magical fiction. She effortlessly blends her surrealist worlds with fully developed and rich characters. Bunny, the first in this now duology, was my first introduction to her writing, and had me hooked immediately. When I heard a prequel/sequel was coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. And I am elated I did. We Love You, Bunny takes place after the events of Bunny and yet serves as a sort of prequel. Awad treats us to a look at the first year, before Samantha joined in the Bunnies '“work.”
We Love You, Bunny begins with the Bunnies recounting their story, from each of their perspectives. From their initial meeting to their first creation, we get a more intimate look at the group’s dynamics and motivations from their own mouths. The novel is written entirely in dialogue/monologue, and Awad takes careful time to differentiate each character’s voice.
Awad introduces some new characters and gave a few of the side characters from the first novel much more character depth. Everything Awad does is so intentional, from her literary references to her not-so-subtle jabs at author/ artist culture. It is a beautiful tapestry of plot, satire, and whimsy.
I originally thought the beginning moved a bit slow, but the ending twist more than pays off for any perceived pacing issues. She uses sweeping imagery, new age spirituality, and 80s camp horror to deliver one of the most memorable books of the year.
“I was a goth in 90s Toronto, and that scene inspires everything I write”
The Toronto Life Interview with Mona Award
Interview by Anthony Milton
The author talks dark humour, being an outsider in the Ivy League and receiving the CanLit torch from Margaret Atwood
What made you want to revisit the world of Bunny?
I missed it. The book never left me. When I write my novels, I really inhabit them. When they’re over, I grieve. I started to see visions of the Bunnies when I’d see actual bunnies on walks.
Why did you opt to tell the story from their perspective?
Because they’re villains. One of my favourite things in literature is trying to see a character from another perspective. I got to see Samantha through their eyes, which was fun.
The novel features an exploding rabbit, which is tame compared with the rest of the book. Are you ever surprised that your readers follow you into such dark and strange places?
Creativity can feel like blowing up a bunny! It can involve going into very dark places. I wanted it to feel that way. There’s a metaphor for writing in there: the Bunnies have to destroy a beautiful, organic thing to create something new. They literally kill their darlings. There is always a cost to creativity.
The Bunny novels are set in New England, but you spent your adolescence in Toronto. How much of the books were informed by your time here?
I couldn’t have written either book without being Canadian. I have a fundamentally outsider view of the Ivy League experience. When I first went to New England for my MFA, it was wild to see how these incredible schools exist in towns where there’s such a disparity in wealth. That bubble was very particular to the US. I also grew up as a goth in 1990s Toronto, and that scene inspires everything I write. All of the old spots are gone now, but I loved the incredible clothing shops on Queen West and venues like Savage Garden and Sanctuary, which is probably a Starbucks or something now.
You did your bachelor’s in English at York University. What was that like?
As soon as I arrived, I felt overwhelmed by the campus—it’s so huge. I soon transferred to the Glendon campus, which was cloistered and beautiful and had a great community. Glendon didn’t have bunnies, but it did have a garden that inspired the one in my novel All’s Well. And the beauty of the place informs the landscape of Bunny.
Margaret Atwood has named you her heir apparent. How does it feel to be in line for that crown?
It was an honour to find that out. I was very moved. Her novels have been so important for me. As a teenager, I read her earlier books, which are very gothic and weird, and they inspired my own approach to storytelling.
Bunny has been optioned for both TV and film, with J. J. Abrams’s production house taking the movie rights. Is anything in the works?
Yes, the story is currently in development for a film, which is very exciting. I’m an executive producer on it. I’ve read the script and spoken with the lead actor and director. It’s in good hands.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a new novel, and there will be a third book in the Bunny series. I can’t say much about it yet. Bunny wants to keep things secret—for now.
Mona Awad is the bestselling author of the novels BUNNY, ROUGE, ALL'S WELL and 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A FAT GIRL. She is a three time finalist for a Goodreads Choice Award, a finalist for the Giller Prize, and a winner of the Amazon Best First Novel Award. BUNNY was also a finalist for the New England Book Award and it won the Ladies of Horror Fiction Best Novel Award. It's currently in development for film with Bad Robot Productions. Her forthcoming novel, WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY will be released with Simon & Schuster in September 2025.
She earned an MFA from Brown University and an MScR in English from the University of Edinburgh where her dissertation was on fear in the fairy tale. In 2018, she completed a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literary Studies at the University of Denver. She currently teaches creative writing at Syracuse University and lives in Boston