Bunny

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Samantha struggles with her identity throughout the novel, defining herself against the Bunnies before becoming absorbed into their collective. Think about a time when you’ve defined yourself in opposition to a group or when you’ve unexpectedly found yourself becoming part of something you once criticized. What factors drove your behavior?

2. The Bunnies’ workshop rituals involve creating “Drafts” of men from rabbits, which serves as a metaphor for the creative writing process. What rituals or habits have you developed in your own creative endeavors?

3. Samantha imagines conversations with absent people throughout the novel, particularly Ava. Do you ever find yourself continuing dialogues with people in their absence?

4. The novel depicts the distinction between reality, fantasy, and art as increasingly blurred. Could you relate to this portrayal? Why or why not?

5. Awad portrays Warren University as both an elite opportunity and a soul-crushing environment for Samantha’s creativity. In your own life, are there institutions or environments that have similarly represented both opportunity and constraint?

6. At multiple points in the novel, Samantha hears voices in her head—Ava’s, her mother’s, the Bunnies’, etc. Whose voice(s) do you carry with you, for better or worse?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Bunny satirizes feminist rhetoric through the Bunnies, who use feminist language while engaging in cultish, oppressive behavior. What does the novel seem to be saying about contemporary feminism and its various expressions?

2. The novel explores clique dynamics typically associated with adolescence but places them in a graduate school setting. What might this suggest about how social hierarchies persist into adulthood?

3. Throughout the novel, the town surrounding Warren is described as dangerous and violent, creating a stark contrast with the sanitized campus environment. What statement might Awad be making about the relationship between elite institutions and their surrounding communities?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Consider the unreliable narrator device in Bunny. How does Samantha’s perspective shape readers’ understanding of events, and what clues does Awad provide that reality might differ from Samantha’s perception?

2. The theme of hybridity dominates the novel, with characters, settings, and even the narrative itself combining different elements. What purpose does this pervasive hybridity serve in illuminating the novel’s themes?

3. What is the significance of the Drafts as a symbol for the writing process, and how does their development throughout the novel parallel creative work?

4. The book features recurring violence—the exploding rabbits, beheadings, Max’s death, etc. What does this violence symbolize in relation to creativity and art?

5. When Samantha becomes part of the Bunnies, her narrative voice shifts from “I” to “we.” How does this pronoun shift affect your understanding of Samantha’s character development?

6. Why might Awad have chosen to incorporate elements of magical realism to tell a story about creative writing programs? How does Awad’s style compare to that of classics of the genre—e.g., Isabel Allende’s House of the Spirits or Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude?