Melanie Cheng is a writer and general practitioner. She was born in Adelaide, grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Melbourne. Her debut collection of short stories, Australia Day, won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2016 and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction in 2018. Room for a Stranger, her highly acclaimed first novel, was published in 2019. Today we're discussing her new novel, The Burrow.

Our interview begins at  31.00

We've got a Substack publication now! On the last day of the month, we share recommendations for two things we reckon you should read/watch/listen to. The beauty of Substack is you can revisit all our old editions and comment on our episode updates to share your thoughts. Come say hi!

Mini book club: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

One of the most talked about books of 2024 and not one Michelle even finished. However, Caitlin explains why she enjoyed Intermezzo and who she'd recommend it to.

In this interview, we chat about:

• The inspiration for The Burrow and choosing to explore grief several years on from a traumatic event
• How to strike the right balance between realism and hope
• Why Melanie is so fascinated by mothers and daughters in her writing
• Melanie's work as a GP and how she started writing

Books and other things mentioned:

• Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang
• Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers
• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
• Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales
• Gary Lonesborough interview
• Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
• The Sitter by Angela O'Keefe

Follow @cheng_melanie on Instagram

The Burrow is available in Australia and the US now. Thank you to the publisher for providing us copies of the book in preparation for the interview.

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