After blowing on the embers of the literary world with flamesthe Australian Robbie Arnott is replenishing the shelves of bookstores with a new yule log, also sculpted in the shape of a fairy tale for adults.
This time, he dips his feather in the waters of myths to fertilize a fabulous heron, with a body composed of droplets and vapor, capable of causing rain and fine weather around him – literally, as if in the second degree.
Many people doubt the existence of this legendary animal, but Ren, a woman living as a hermit in the mountains, would have already seen it, a long time ago. It was well before the coup d’etat, in this unidentified country, which pushed her into savage confinement. The problem is that the high hierarchy of the insurgents also believes in the reality of this fabulous creature, convinced that it could be useful to them. Against the backdrop of a climate that is going haywire, a hunt begins, led by a soldier who is not on her first out-of-the-ordinary encounter.
Well balanced, sketching contemporary issues without heaviness, featuring endearing characters and mythological beings, and despite some clichéd scenes that seem to be modeled on bad cinematographic reflexes, The rain bird plunges us into a captivating story at the crossroads of wonder and cruelty, a distorting mirror of our world. Emphasizing it is rare, but the superb cover of this edition represents very well the atmosphere of the story, imprinted with grandiose landscapes where suffering rumbles.
The rain bird
Robbie Arnott
Alto
328 pages