Tess Gunty’s ‘fiercely original’ The Rabbit Hutch wins inaugural Waterstones debut fiction prize

Rust-belt novel set in a fictional Indiana town wins 5,000 cash prize and ongoing commitment' from the bookseller

Tess Gunty's fiercely original and innovative" The Rabbit Hutch has won the inaugural Waterstones debut fiction prize.

The Rabbit Hutch focuses on the residents of an affordable housing complex in the fictional rust-belt town of Vacca Vale, Indiana. Issues including poverty, gentrification and an inadequate care system are seen through the lens of Blandine, an ethereally beautiful and formidably intelligent" young woman who is offered a chance to escape her surroundings.