Dusk
A page-turning new historical novel from the prizewinning author of Limberlost
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- $189.00
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- $189.00
Descripción editorial
'A stunner' THE TIMES
'Sublime' HANNAH KENT
'Magnificent' TIM WINTON
The explosive story of outcast twins Iris and Floyd as they join a hunt through the wilderness for a man-killing puma. But there is a threat closer to home . . .
The distant highlands, covered in snow and strewn with ancient bones, are an alien home for a puma from South America. But when Dusk escapes her captors, reports of killing sprees of sheep and shepherds are not long to follow.
The highlands are no less alien to twins Iris and Floyd, whose family history renders them outcasts. Out of work, money and friends, they hear of the significant bounty on Dusk’s head. They decide to join the hunt.
As they journey up into the wild, haunted country, they discover there's far more to the land and people than they imagined. Forced to make an uneasy alliance with a fellow tracker, the twins’ lifelong bond is put at risk. And as the trio close in on their prey, it becomes clear where the true danger lies . . .
'Starkly beautiful and deeply felt ... the pared-back textures of Dusk’s prose occasionally recall those of Cormac McCarthy' Guardian
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Paternal twins plunge themselves into danger after joining the hunt for a bloodthirsty puma in this arresting novel from Australian author Arnott (The Rain Heron). Iris Renshaw and her brother, Floyd, are 37-year-old vagabonds who travel from place to place in search of work, food, and shelter. When they learn of a hefty bounty for a man-killing puma named Dusk, they leap at the opportunity. As they traverse the expansive and unforgiving Australian highlands on horseback, Floyd's chronic back trouble tethers him to Iris. The dynamic is nothing new; their tight-knit bond originates from looking out for each other during their hardscrabble upbringing, when they were raised by violent and alcoholic parents. Now, they are happy to have fled another town where "nobody they knew wanted to know them." As the puma continues her slaughter, the twins head farther into the bush along with fellow bounty hunter Patrick. Arnott imbues his descriptions of the pumas and Tasmanian highlands with an air of myth, as the twins pick up local lore on their travels, and the slow-burning narrative gains heat as the twins' attempts to track the puma are jeopardized by the devious Patrick and others. The striking landscape descriptions ("pumas stalked the wet air; hunters bled into the clouds. Great caches of ancient bones blended into the whiteness") are a perfect fit for the story's primal treachery. Readers will be utterly captivated by this atmospheric tale of danger and survival.
