The Rain Heron

Robbie Arnott's 2nd Novel is, as his first, a Tasmanian Goth fantasy that had me listening to the audio at every opportunity.

Australia, though unnamed, has suffered a military coup and during these troubled times a band of soldiers is sent by the authorities on a mission to capture the mythical Rain Heron for what can be only to see if they can control the weather. The telling of the story forces us, as a species, to face our own inhumanity to each other and to the ecology of the world around us. One's imagination has to confront all the flaws that each of the characters has, as nature exposes us as just another doomed species. When we respect nature, it assists us. Times are plentiful on the farm and in the sea until........? As a species, can we be blind until coerced by forces out of our control not to be?

I said of Robbie Arnott's very good debut that it was recommended to all us that know and enjoy Tassie Literature. Nothing changes with this thought-provoking and parable like second.

I think about this book ALL of the time. This book is one where I want to tell anyone in my life to read it just so I could have an excuse to talk about it more.

I keep reading for experiences like this one. The Rain Heron is treasured in my heart.

One of the most beautifully written books I've read in a long time. There were just a couple of minor things that didn't add up for me. I loved the way the stories weaved together, but it also felt a little unfinished too.

''But more curious than this was what they saw next: a huge heron, the colour of rain, suddenly emerging from the flood in a fast, steep flight, leaving not even a ripple on the water beneath it. With a languid flap on its wings it came to rest in the crown of the oak, standing over the unlucky farmer, as if on a guard.''

Somewhere in the wilderness, a woman lives alone on a farm next to oppressive neighbours. Years later, another woman lives in a cave, finding help from a father and his young son. Until the day a squad of young troops comes, led by a young woman who has set off to find a wonder. The great heron that can give birth to rain or make it disappear. As we move back and forth in time, we witness the ordeal of the characters within an unforgiving nature. Within their own troubled selves.

''Frozen, palled days, drained of hope, stacked one upon one another.''


Arnott has no mercy for the reader. In a story that is full of shocking moments of raw power on the verge of brutality, a devastating scene early on sets the pace and we understand that this is going to be a dark, dark journey. In the heart of a harsh landscape, haunted by the haunting nature and their choices, the lives of the farmer, the hermit, the young soldier unfold in perfect prose. The chasing of futile dreams, the hunt for the precious ink, the obsession with the heron. Each individual journey is an Odyssey to control the non-human, to bend it to our will. Each character is a tapestry of fear and vices and ambitions. All controversial to the bone, all fascinating. I was particularly intrigued and impressed by the Northerner and Alec, two crucial figures in Zoe's story.

''How does it feel to be followed?''

We gradually realize that the world has changed. A coup has taken place and although its traces are evident even within the natural environment, Arnott doesn't focus on it at all. The central theme of this extraordinary novel lies elsewhere, in my opinion. We desire to control Nature as we control politics, nations. As we THINK we can control Fate. But we are deeply mistaken. We can't control anything. We can't even control ourselves...

Who is Ren? What has happened to her? What does Zoe really want? Who is evil, who is righteous? What is the boundary between the instinct of survival, duty and blind violence?

Written like a dark fairy tale, a haunted forest where death has made its home, and with an elegant, careful touch of Magical Realism, The Rain Heron is one of the best, most original novels of the year.

''Ravens called from the trees, deep rasps, long and loud. Ren watched them hope, black patterns in the branches. Pine needles carpeted the ground beneath them, giving way in small glades to grass, stones, fallen branches, thick moss. The light was weak, interrupted everywhere by the trees and their shadows.''

Many thanks to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/

A hauntingly beautiful and tragic fable.