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maryz63's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Violence
chicagostupid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
the rabbit hutch is probably one of the best books i’ve ever read. i could tell from just the first few pages that it was going to hypnotize me, and stay with me long after i finished reading jt.
the book ties together its characters and events in a way that reveals how much care has been put into writing it. rereading it is not just necessary, it is mandatory
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Violence
fpcat99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism and Abortion
natspat98's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Blood, and Classism
e11en's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Stalking
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a tough one to review. The author throws everything at you that is on her mind and you have to deal with it. Some parts leave you breathless and others weirdly are a bit of a slog.
The writing is strong most of the time, but the story can't keep up with it. Too many side characters, whose stories don't get really elaborated and I could have really done without this totally uninteresting son of a celebrity mother.
I'm rating this a bit higher, because of the strong writing. The story gave me sadness and loneliness (which I'm totally here for), but apart from that, there wasn't enough meat to the bone for me.
The writing is strong most of the time, but the story can't keep up with it. Too many side characters, whose stories don't get really elaborated and I could have really done without this totally uninteresting son of a celebrity mother.
I'm rating this a bit higher, because of the strong writing. The story gave me sadness and loneliness (which I'm totally here for), but apart from that, there wasn't enough meat to the bone for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
araowl's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"The Rabbit Hutch" is a contemporary debut about the inhabitants of a deteriorating rust belt apartment building. Although the novel jumps around to multiple POVs, the book is mainly about a precocious young girl named Blandine and her three male roommates who all recently aged out of the foster care system.
This book deals with heavy themes related to sexual and physical abuse, trauma, and the gentrification of a dying Indiana city. As someone from Indiana, the way the author described the setting felt extremely accurate and hit close to home. These rust belt towns are places of rusty chain-link fences, random rubber shoes on the road, and broken glass covering every street corner. They're places where people born into poverty often never get a chance to leave. Blandine is extremely intelligent and had a rare opportunity to transcend this small town through academic achievement, but unfortunately, the effects of abuse and trauma make that kind of thing easier said than done.
Overall, every character in this book is ultimately searching for meaning and human connection. A current of loneliness and existential dread pulse through the entire story. The book is often satirically witty, and has a lot of commentary on the wildness of the internet and the detrimental effects of late-stage capitalism on both humans and the environment. I found the themes extremely resonant and thought-provoking, and the characters richly detailed and compelling. The only criticism I have is that some of the character's stories felt a little underdeveloped, but I definitely see how each and every character contributed to the overall meaning of the book.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes modern literary fiction, witty and irreverent writing, and intelligent social commentary. I'd definitely steer clear if you are sensitive to depictions of sexual abuse, violence, and trauma - or if you just prefer your fiction on the more lighthearted and plot-driven side.
This book deals with heavy themes related to sexual and physical abuse, trauma, and the gentrification of a dying Indiana city. As someone from Indiana, the way the author described the setting felt extremely accurate and hit close to home. These rust belt towns are places of rusty chain-link fences, random rubber shoes on the road, and broken glass covering every street corner. They're places where people born into poverty often never get a chance to leave. Blandine is extremely intelligent and had a rare opportunity to transcend this small town through academic achievement, but unfortunately, the effects of abuse and trauma make that kind of thing easier said than done.
Overall, every character in this book is ultimately searching for meaning and human connection. A current of loneliness and existential dread pulse through the entire story. The book is often satirically witty, and has a lot of commentary on the wildness of the internet and the detrimental effects of late-stage capitalism on both humans and the environment. I found the themes extremely resonant and thought-provoking, and the characters richly detailed and compelling. The only criticism I have is that some of the character's stories felt a little underdeveloped, but I definitely see how each and every character contributed to the overall meaning of the book.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes modern literary fiction, witty and irreverent writing, and intelligent social commentary. I'd definitely steer clear if you are sensitive to depictions of sexual abuse, violence, and trauma - or if you just prefer your fiction on the more lighthearted and plot-driven side.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness and Blood
minipliny's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved Blandine so much in this book - she's not romanticised or an object of pity but just so much herself; I love the way that Jack sees how much she doesn't belong in Vacca Vale and yet Vacca Vale belongs in her. I felt like the book captured online life in a way that's actually funny and accurate and hard to pull off. It takes a lot of risks and not everything lands but it was so much more interesting and emotional and thought provoking than a less risky book. The awful grooming teacher and his self deception was so well done. Blandine would also do numbers on tumblr.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Classism
namizaela's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
3.75
This book is undeniably brilliant. Through a cast of intriguing characters, a non-linear and unconventional storytelling method, and fascinating commentaries on violence at the intersection of gender and class, I feel like this novel was as much a manifesto as it was a story.
However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I admired it. There were some parts, such as the storyline about Moses, that felt too underdeveloped to make an impact on the whole story. I think this novel would have been more compelling if it had focused entirely on Blandine, her roommates, and James. I still enjoyed reading about the side characters, but I viewed them more as a distraction. Additionally, this is just my personal preference, but some of the dialogue in the book felt extremely unrealistic, as if the author was just using the characters as mouthpieces for conflicts of different schools of ideas. The particular conversation I'm thinking of isthe last confrontation between James and Blandine , which I felt devolved into more of an academic debate than an actual conversation. It took away some of the immersion of the novel at the cost of introducing some great ideas, so it wasn't all bad.
However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I admired it. There were some parts, such as the storyline about Moses, that felt too underdeveloped to make an impact on the whole story. I think this novel would have been more compelling if it had focused entirely on Blandine, her roommates, and James. I still enjoyed reading about the side characters, but I viewed them more as a distraction. Additionally, this is just my personal preference, but some of the dialogue in the book felt extremely unrealistic, as if the author was just using the characters as mouthpieces for conflicts of different schools of ideas. The particular conversation I'm thinking of is
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
dustghosts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love the experimentation that Gunther is doing here— with POV, with time, with narration. What a beautiful and effective way to present a fragmented, obfuscated yet encompassing understanding of events and of the girl at the center of them. The content itself I found challenging, and the pacing a bit slow— I wonder if I ought to have read this with eyes instead of ears, and if that would have helped. Wonderful work by the audiobook readers; it just took me a very long time to get through!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death