Bunny Modern

by David Bowman

The trade paperback edition of David Bowman's prize-winning first novel, Let the Dog Drive , has developed a cult following. Now Bowman's exuberantly praised second novel -- a hard-boiled comedy about love, abduction, and child care, set in a future where electricity has disappeared and fertility is on the wane, but human passions are as messy as ever -- is also in trade paperback.

Genres: Fiction, Modern, Dystopia

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Krok Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why would carrier pigeons be necessary in a future without electricity — why wouldn't regular, non-electronic snail-mail suffice? That's the kind of question you shouldn't really bother asking yourself while reading this book, because the zany world of the novel does not appear to have been conceived with much care or thought, and the whole thing has an on-the-fly, make-this-shit-up-as-we-go-along quality that could be either refreshing or maddening depending on your own personal calibrations as a reader. For me it was a little from column A, a little from column B. It's consistently funny, and unpredictable, and a quick enough read that you can be finished before your critical instincts kick in. But it all feels a bit half-baked, ultimately, as though Bowman (a high priest of cult eccentricity whose first novel, Let the Dog Drive, is just as weird as this but a lot more fully-realized) had some vague ideas that seemed like they might maybe coalesce into some kind of comic SF novel, and this book became more of a dumping grounds than a purposeful statement. But students of literary weirdness will find a lot to like here.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird ass book thank you max

[Cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Bowman's Let the Dog Drive a number of years ago; now I need to reread it. I think I needed my training in literature to appreciate Bowman's bizarre creativity. This book invites comparisons to Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, to Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, to Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984, and even to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the more recent Thursday Next novels. It also reminded me, in its particular dystopian slant, of Berger's Regiment of Women and Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. Bowman is at times extremely funny, often absolutely absurd, and consistently very enjoyable.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the future, electricity has vanished, fertility rates are so low that people who do have babies are forced to hire armed nannies, and nannies are required to take an emotion-blocking drug so they won't get attached. But then a mesmerizing infant is discovered who, his nanny realizes, is the key to restoring everything.

It's fun to read, has an interesting dystopia, but it ends abruptly. Is there a sequel? There certainly could be.

[Thomas F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, I picked this up in the days when there were bookstores everywhere. Something attracted me to a story that had Washington square Park cordoned off because babies were worth their weight in gold, and infertile women trying to get pregnant by sitting on the Ronald Reagan fountain. It was sort of like a humorous version of "Handmaid's Tale". I read it in the 90's.

[Nick Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real treat. In all the tangled weirdness of this life finally a bit of normalcy and expulsion. Birth and a lot of it. Super funny and well written, no path just a winding staircase of dialogue and running. Take your bow Mr bowman

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nannies packing heat - what more could you ask for.

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

weird!

[tates 🧘‍♀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 this was weird but not necessarily bad

[Andy McCarthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely thought it would be better than it was. I did not really enjoy it, and I just wanted to finish it.

[Sarah Chekfa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a psychedelic reading experience

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant experimental but approachable literature.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a science fiction or fantasy novel where the world isn't the point. Bunny Modern by David Bowman with his near future look at New York and New Jersey comes close to accomplishing this goal.

In this day and age where alternative energy is becoming a world wide concern and oil prices are so volatile, Bunny Modern reads like it was published this year rather than last decade.

In Bowman's vision of the future, electricity has stopped working but not because of a lack of oil. It has just stopped. Some speculate a karmic reason but no one has a solid explanation as to why it stopped working. At the same time, the fertility rates have dropped and babies are worth more than gold to parents. The wealthiest families hire gun toting nannies to protect their little bundles.

Bunny Modern is narrated by Dylan, a man who can "sheldrake" or see into the minds of other people (but only women in his case). He spends most of his time sheldraking the mind of Clare, a nanny now in charge of Soda.

Soda ends up being the key to the entire plot. Dylan knows more than he lets on, making him an unreliable narrator but the way he shares things makes the discovery process about how the near future works more fun for the reader.

If anything, the ending of Bunny Modern is the novel's weakest part. The truth behind Soda and his relationship to the nanny agency that Clare works for is silly and not explained satisfactorily for my tastes. The last couple chapters had me thinking of Baby Herman (Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf) and Mom of Mom's Robots (Futurama).

Despite the disappointing ending, I enjoyed Bunny Modern.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this twisted tale from David Bowman, the loss of electricity has created an oddly upbeat dystopian society. Former child actor Dylan lives in a world where appliances are enshrined, gun-toting nannies like Clare are hired to protect the valuable commodity of children, and the young child named Soda may be the key to fixing it all. Bowman's initial premise of a de-energized city is an interesting idea; the book flounders in its desire to incorporate violent caretakers and the emotional heart-strings of child care into pop culture references. Definitely one of the odder reads I've encountered...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool strange tale of New York in a near future where electricity has vanished, and child-care is performed by drug-crazed armed nannies. The narrator is a man who becomes infatuated with one of these nannies, and their paths cross in a most ridiculous fashion. I wish I had read it in a day or two instead of slowly over a week due to crazy work schedule lately. I'll probably reread it at some point.

[Melanie Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of fun cultural references, but I'm not as old as Bowman, so many of them were lost on me. I really liked the concept, but my biggest problem was a lack of description of scenery. There were many times when Clare threw shoes into the water, but were they on a boat? A dock? A lot of times it was fuzzy.

[Thomas Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, I picked this up in the days when there were bookstores everywhere. Something attracted me to a story that had Washington square Park cordoned off because babies were worth their weight in gold, and infertile women trying to get pregnant by sitting on the Ronald Reagan fountain. It was sort of like a humorous version of "Handmaid's Tale". I read it in the 90's.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun, weird, wacky story of drugs, babies, and gun toting nannies. Truly one of the weirdest novels I have ever read. The writing style was fluid and modern. It's a fun romp, nothing serious or important, but an entertaining read.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening imagery of future post modern, assault weapon toting, Goth baby-sitters is just so very cool. However from that point the narrative plummets into a downward spiral that the author never pulls up from.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

pretentious at times.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

the description of this book sounded much better than it actually was. i didn't like this book, but i give it an extra star because it was a pretty creative idea for a book.

[Hstewart01]

I learned never to read a book based on the cover art or because it has the name of my favorite animal in the title. Lesson learned.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bizarre and entertaining read. I was drawn to the odd characters and didn't want to put it down.

[Megann Filios · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, I've reread it several times. Extremely funny.

[Dan Still · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, LOVE this book! Is it sacrilege to say that this might be the Fahrenheit 451 for a new generation?

[H Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant - smart, funny, silly, hip, and moving. I savoured it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever in the sense that it's scary how society could actually find itself in such a situation.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

two stars... punks with carriages and a loaded gun.
boring but realistic dream of living in todays modern world of beautiful electric dreams.