A review by rebeccazh
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott

4.0

I agree with the reviewer who called this an eco-fable. It's a rather short book, split into four parts. The first three parts feature seemingly unconnected characters, told in a myth/fable-like style. The last part zooms into the human characters in a journey/roadtrip of sorts. The atmosphere of the book is haunting and dystopian.

I thought this book did a fantastic job showing the relationship between man, communities, and nature. The animals in this book (the rain heron, the squid) are mystical, with a touch of the unknowable about them. The groups of humans who interact with the animals have various agendas and motivations; some live in a harmonious and interdependent way with the animals, while others are driven by greed and profit and see the animals only as objects, leading to cruel spillover effects on other humans.

Also, I thought the rain heron would feature more.