The Burrow

Susan Midalia's Review 

Melanie Cheng’s new novel is a tender, intelligently understated and psychologically astute story about a family burdened by grief. Set in a three-week period during Melbourne’s Covid lockdown, Cheng’s third work of fiction is imbued with a quiet wisdom and an abiding compassion for its characters, as they struggle to deal with the death of a baby daughter, sister and grandchild.

Emergency doctor Jin and his writer wife Amy have lost their baby three years before the story begins, leaving their ten-year-old daughter Lucie haunted by the prospect of further deaths, and adrift in the wake of her parents’ unhappiness. The tension is exacerbated when Amy’s mother Pauline, following a fall in her home, comes to stay in the granny flat. Add to this fraught situation the arrival of a pet rabbit, whose initial rejection of human touch thickens the air of emotional paralysis. Like the burrowing actions of a rabbit, the characters bury their secrets and shame, using anger or apparent apathy to deflect their silent suffering.

One of the great strengths of this deeply moving novel is its use of multiple perspectives, narrated in relatively brief fragments, to enact the isolation of and miscommunication between the three generations. The Burrow is also informed by Cheng’s knowledge and experience as a medical practitioner: she is particularly skilled at describing the physical pain and mental trauma of grievous loss. The four main characters are vividly drawn. Amy, Jin and Pauline are deeply flawed in different and complex ways, and reveal a capacity to surprise one another, as well as themselves. The child Lucie is a brilliant combination of anxiety and resilience, resentment and heartfelt affection.

Written in spare but resonant prose, the story moves subtly, inexorably, towards the possibility of new beginnings. The Burrow encourages reflection on the ambiguities and anguish of grief, repression and regret, and will leave you consoled by the healing power of forgiveness. It will probably make you cry. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Available now in the Lane Bookshop.

Publisher's Review 

In her unforgettable new novel, Victorian Premier's Literary Award-winner Melanie Cheng has created this year's literary masterpiece.

'How rare, this delicacy-this calm, sweet, desolated wisdom.' - Helen Garner

'Stupendously good' - Christos Tsiolkas

Amy, Jin and 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.

More Praise for The Burrow

'An exquisite portrait of grief and the small things that save us. I was mesmerised.' - Shankari Chandran

'Such a fan of Melanie Cheng's work. Quiet writing with such fierce emotion. This one's another gift of a novel.' - Benjamin Law

'Gulped it. I've been a Melanie Cheng fan since our first books came out. But this one is next level-it conveys so much human experience so sparingly that it seems to defy the laws of gravity. Stunning.' - Sarah Krasnostein

'The Burrow...skilfully brings coherence to its explorations of compassion, commitment, and suffering.' - Booklist

'On the surface, The Burrow is a very quiet, understated book; but of course there is a lot going on beneath that surface, down in the burrow...Definitely recommended.' - Through the Biblioscope

'A triumph of restrained and tender storytelling...A nuanced study of one family's grief, but it's also a magnificent portrait of modern loneliness.' - Books+Publishing

An absolutely beautiful book...It might be my novel of the year.' - Michael Williams, ABC RN The Bookshelf