Bunny

Bunny mentions several texts and authors, from Roland Barthes to John Keats. Read a text mentioned in the book and connect it to Awad’s novel. How does it relate to Samantha and the Bunnies?

The Bunnies acknowledge that the Drafts sometimes find jobs and lead somewhat regular lives. Pick one of the drafts—like Beowulf VII—and write imagining their life in town after the Bunnies ditched them.

Between Fosco and the Bunnies, the story features many creative prompts and suggestions. Go along with one of the prompts or suggestions—write about home, engage the Body (safely)—and compare your response to those of Samantha and the Bunnies.

Bunny features movies and movie stars. There’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Carrie (1976), John Cusack, Citizen Kane (1941), Marlon Brando, and so on. Watch one of the movies and connect the film to the text and the purpose of the Drafts.

Some of the parts in Bunny can be confusing. Pick out a part that was difficult to understand and explain what makes it hard to follow. What literary elements does Awad employ to create surrealism?

The novel links to many genres. It’s a bildungsroman, a thriller, a horror story, and a mystery. It’s an example of magical realism, as it turns realistic events, like a thesis meeting, into surreal scenes. It also links to Gothic fiction due to its often scary and haunting atmosphere. Pick one genre and argue that this genre best defines Bunny.

Samantha provides imagery for all four of the Bunnies but struggles to describe herself. Provide imagery for her and make her less blurry. Describe her hypothetical style as a Bunny and what cultural products symbolize her identity.

Read Awad’s first book, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, and compare Misery Saga to Samantha. What do the protagonists have in common? How do they differ? Could Misery become a Bunny?