Mona Awad on her (iconic) 'Bunny' series

In this episode of Booksmart, Soaliha sits down with internationally acclaimed author Mona Awad to dive into the world of her cult classic Bunny and its highly anticipated sequel, We Love You, Bunny, that has just been released (get your copy STAT!)

ICYMI: first published in 2019, Bunny became an instant literary sensation -named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, Vogue, and the New York Public Library - and was hailed by the one-and-only Margaret Atwood as “very funny, kind of horrifying and quite far outside the lines.” A darkly satirical blend of gothic fairy tale, campus horror, and metafiction, the novel follows Samantha Mackey, a scholarship student at a prestigious New England MFA program who falls under the thrall of a hyperfeminine clique known as “the Bunnies.” Behind their pastel sweetness lies a nightmarish secret: occult “drafting parties” that blur the lines between art, desire, and monstrosity.

Now, six years later, Awad has returned with We Love You, Bunny: a book that is both sequel and prequel, expanding the Bunnyverse to reveal the origin story of the Bunnies and their terrifying creature, Aerius, while following Samantha in the aftermath of her initiation. Longlisted for the Giller Prize and already optioned for screen adaptation (can't wait for the movie!), the novel doubles down on the surreal, self-referential humour and horror that made the OG Bunny novel a phenomenon.

This episode is a must-listen - let us know what you think!