The Burrow (novel)

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The Burrow
The Burrow book cover.jpg
Author Melanie Cheng
GenreFiction
Publisher Text Publishing
Publication date
1 October 2024
Publication placeAustralia
Pages192
ISBN 9781922790941

The Burrow is a 2024 novel by Melanie Cheng. [1] The book, which is set during the COVID-19 pandemic, follows a family in the aftermath of their daughter's accidental drowning four years prior. After the family adopts a pet rabbit, they begin to move past their estrangement. [2] The book draws on themes and imagery from a short story of the same name by Franz Kafka. [2]

Contents

Reception

The book was reviewed in The Guardian , [3] The Saturday Paper , [4] The Age , [5] and Meanjin . [6] Reviewing the book in The Age, Carmel Bird described the book as "exquisite" and as "a frank exploration of grief, of its colour, texture and reach". [5] In a review for The Guardian, Jack Callil called the book "a story of familial tensions, parenthood and grief in the wake of trauma, condensed into a novella". [3] The book was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and was described by the judging panel as being "among those wonderful creations that continue their careful work long after the final page has been turned". [2]

Awards

Awards for The Burrow
YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2025 Stella Prize —Shortlisted [7] [2]
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards FictionShortlisted [8]
Australian Book Industry Awards Small Publishers' Adult Book of the YearShortlisted [9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Burrow". Text Publishing. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Burrow". Stella Prize. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  3. 1 2 Callil, Jack (17 October 2024). "The Burrow by Melanie Cheng review – a tender, compelling story of family and grief". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  4. ↑ Gray, Madeleine (19 October 2024). "The Burrow". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 Bird, Carmel (28 October 2024). "This exquisite novel is a tender story of grief, hope – and a rabbit". The Age. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Cheong, Megan (6 December 2024). "The winding passage of grief". Meanjin.
  7. ↑ Jefferson, Dee (7 April 2025). "Stella Prize 2025: Shortlist entirely women of colour for the first time in award's history". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards announce 2025 shortlist". Creative Victoria. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "2025 Book Awards Shortlist Announcement". Australian Book Industry Awards. 19 March 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
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