Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Rabbits for Food
Binnie Kirshenbaum
Review by Priscilla Comen
Rabbits for Food
Binnie Kirshenbaum
Review by Priscilla Comen
Rabbits for Food, by Binnie Kirshenbaum, is the story of Bunny and her husband Albie. She is about to go out to dinner on New Year's Eve of 2008. She wants to scream. Author Kirshenbaum writes with a sense of humor for this story of depression and mental hospitals. Bunny doesn’t want to go to a lovely dinner with lovely people. She’d rather drink Clorox. Bunny's parents raised “rabbits for food.” Is this what started her down hill?
Bunny has two sisters: Dawn, with two children and a husband who sells bedpans, and Nicole, a lesbian with a wife and one son. Nicole will not let her son eat cookies. Bunny and Albie don’t want children, and Bunny is child-like enough for Albie. But when Bunny begins to look at baby clothes, they get a kitten, Angela, who is like their baby and they love her. After a few years, Angela gets sick and dies. They replace her with another cat, Jeffrey. Bunny hurts herself, pulls her hair, slaps her legs. This is disturbing and Albie is upset.
Stella is Bunny’s friend, and Muriel is Albie’s friend. They each need a friend. Bunny knows Albie's friend from work, but does she know they are sleeping together? She used to write essays in high school for her teacher. One compared Dorothy in Oz with Anne Frank. The teacher asked Bunny what was wrong with her.
On December 31st, Bunny decides to take a bath, to smoke a last cigarette, to drink a glass of vodka and to slit her wrists. Bunny hated her Christmas gifts from Albie; he was pleasantly surprised with his. Bunny owns a shredder and on this day, she puts every paper she can find into it: bank statements, interviews, postcards from foreign places, diplomas, etc., as if she wants to be shredded herself.
On New Year’s Eve, they go to “The Red Monkey” with two couples. After Bunny and Albie dress, they admire each other’s outfits, almost like normal couples. They walk to the restaurant. Under the table, fish swim below the tile floor. One fish is dead, and floats away. Julian tells the waiter and he gifts them with more champagne. Is this an omen for Bunny? Bunny jams her fork into her thigh. Blood spurts out, Albie takes her to a mental hospital. They check her in with separate piles for her “allowed” and “not allowed” items. Some inmates here are catatonic and one man says “holy fuck” again and again. Bunny doesn’t want to do arts and crafts, but she glues tiles onto a board as she did in third grade. The author introduces us to all the “loonies” who play Go Fish, do puzzles, or sing songs from Broadway musicals.
Albie comes to visit after dinner. Bunny writes a list of things for Albie to bring with him next time. It includes photos of their cat. Bunny tells Albie they want to electrocute her. Dr Grossman has discussed several options, including ECT. She writes all the time and takes notes on yellow pads that Albie brings her. She had been a writer; perhaps she’ll do this again. Underpants Man monitors the pay phone all day, and Nina throws up after all meals. Author Kirshenbaum describes everyone perfectly, with humor. Each patient has his own disorder. Will Bunny get better? Is there anything wrong with her or is she pretending, to get attention? Find this humorous, but serious book on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
Bunny has two sisters: Dawn, with two children and a husband who sells bedpans, and Nicole, a lesbian with a wife and one son. Nicole will not let her son eat cookies. Bunny and Albie don’t want children, and Bunny is child-like enough for Albie. But when Bunny begins to look at baby clothes, they get a kitten, Angela, who is like their baby and they love her. After a few years, Angela gets sick and dies. They replace her with another cat, Jeffrey. Bunny hurts herself, pulls her hair, slaps her legs. This is disturbing and Albie is upset.
Stella is Bunny’s friend, and Muriel is Albie’s friend. They each need a friend. Bunny knows Albie's friend from work, but does she know they are sleeping together? She used to write essays in high school for her teacher. One compared Dorothy in Oz with Anne Frank. The teacher asked Bunny what was wrong with her.
On December 31st, Bunny decides to take a bath, to smoke a last cigarette, to drink a glass of vodka and to slit her wrists. Bunny hated her Christmas gifts from Albie; he was pleasantly surprised with his. Bunny owns a shredder and on this day, she puts every paper she can find into it: bank statements, interviews, postcards from foreign places, diplomas, etc., as if she wants to be shredded herself.
On New Year’s Eve, they go to “The Red Monkey” with two couples. After Bunny and Albie dress, they admire each other’s outfits, almost like normal couples. They walk to the restaurant. Under the table, fish swim below the tile floor. One fish is dead, and floats away. Julian tells the waiter and he gifts them with more champagne. Is this an omen for Bunny? Bunny jams her fork into her thigh. Blood spurts out, Albie takes her to a mental hospital. They check her in with separate piles for her “allowed” and “not allowed” items. Some inmates here are catatonic and one man says “holy fuck” again and again. Bunny doesn’t want to do arts and crafts, but she glues tiles onto a board as she did in third grade. The author introduces us to all the “loonies” who play Go Fish, do puzzles, or sing songs from Broadway musicals.
Albie comes to visit after dinner. Bunny writes a list of things for Albie to bring with him next time. It includes photos of their cat. Bunny tells Albie they want to electrocute her. Dr Grossman has discussed several options, including ECT. She writes all the time and takes notes on yellow pads that Albie brings her. She had been a writer; perhaps she’ll do this again. Underpants Man monitors the pay phone all day, and Nina throws up after all meals. Author Kirshenbaum describes everyone perfectly, with humor. Each patient has his own disorder. Will Bunny get better? Is there anything wrong with her or is she pretending, to get attention? Find this humorous, but serious book on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.