The Burrow
Title: The Burrow
Author: Melanie Cheng
Publisher: Text Publishing
Shortlist: Fiction
Amy, Jin and their daughter Lucie are leading isolated lives in their partially renovated, inner city home. They are not happy, but they are also terrified of change. When they buy a pet rabbit for Lucie, and then Amy’s mother, Pauline, comes to stay, the family is forced to confront long-buried secrets. Will opening their hearts to the rabbit help them to heal or only invite further tragedy?
The Burrow tells an unforgettable story about grief and hope. With her characteristic compassion and eye for detail, Melanie Cheng reveals the lives of others – even of a small rabbit.
Judges’ report
The Burrow is a close, luminous portrait of grief's capacity to unmake a family. The fear induced by the novel emerges not from its pandemic setting, but from whether Lucie's parents, Jin and Amy, will be able to shift from their intractable and self-destructive trajectories. Melanie Cheng's exploration of the shattering effects of a traumatic event and the possibility for change and growth is unflinching and tender. Cheng's clarifying prose, her deft portrayal of the various family members' perspectives and her realistic rendition of the otherness and wonder that an animal's appearance might bring, renders this novel precious. Underneath The Burrow's quiet surface, life's possibilities and terrors are a roaring presence.
About the Author
Photo by Toby Chahal
Melanie Cheng
VPLA book photography by Sarah Walker
The 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards are proudly supported by the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund and Creative Victoria.