'In the distant highlands, a puma named Dusk is killing shepherds. Down in the lowlands, twins Iris and Floyd are out of work, money and friends. When they hear that a bounty has been placed on Dusk, they reluctantly decide to join the hunt. As they journey up into this wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people of the highlands than they imagined. And as they close in on their prey, they're forced to reckon with conflicts both ancient and deeply personal.' (Publication summary)
Robbie Arnott’s Restless Mind
Michael Williams
(interviewer),
2024
29135486
2024
single work
podcast
interview
'In just three books Robbie Arnott has established himself as a writer to trust. Flames (2018), The Rain Heron (2022) and Limberlost (2022) were all rapturously reviewed and garnered a hefty swag of award nominations and wins. This week, Michael sits down with Robbie to discuss his new novel, Dusk, which explores loss and redemption and survival in Tasmania’s high country.' (Production summary)
'As Iris Renshaw and her twin brother, Floyd, make their way into the unfamiliar terrain of Tasmania’s high country, more than once she reflects that unlocking the sights surrounding them requires specialist knowledge. The rich canvas of life all around is only apparent “if you’re paying attention”. Others describe the country as “harsh, desolate” but Iris feels a “freeing, lung-emptying openness”. The painful twist of her brother’s spine – the relic of an old injury – is only apparent “if you knew where to look”.' (Introduction)
'Readers familiar with Robbie Arnott’s fiction will have some expectations about the kind of book the author is likely to conjure. Dusk sits comfortably inside the thematic and narrative territories he has previously explored, particularly in The Rain Heron (2020) and the wonderful Limberlost (2022). Dusk features Arnott’s typically vivid descriptive prose and his concern with the natural world and our place within it. Dusk generates pathos with delicate expertise and mixes genres while retaining a strong semblance of realism.' (Introduction)
'Readers familiar with Robbie Arnott’s fiction will have some expectations about the kind of book the author is likely to conjure. Dusk sits comfortably inside the thematic and narrative territories he has previously explored, particularly in The Rain Heron (2020) and the wonderful Limberlost (2022). Dusk features Arnott’s typically vivid descriptive prose and his concern with the natural world and our place within it. Dusk generates pathos with delicate expertise and mixes genres while retaining a strong semblance of realism.' (Introduction)
'As Iris Renshaw and her twin brother, Floyd, make their way into the unfamiliar terrain of Tasmania’s high country, more than once she reflects that unlocking the sights surrounding them requires specialist knowledge. The rich canvas of life all around is only apparent “if you’re paying attention”. Others describe the country as “harsh, desolate” but Iris feels a “freeing, lung-emptying openness”. The painful twist of her brother’s spine – the relic of an old injury – is only apparent “if you knew where to look”.' (Introduction)
Robbie Arnott’s Restless Mind
Michael Williams
(interviewer),
2024
29135486
2024
single work
podcast
interview
'In just three books Robbie Arnott has established himself as a writer to trust. Flames (2018), The Rain Heron (2022) and Limberlost (2022) were all rapturously reviewed and garnered a hefty swag of award nominations and wins. This week, Michael sits down with Robbie to discuss his new novel, Dusk, which explores loss and redemption and survival in Tasmania’s high country.' (Production summary)
