Ren lives alone on the remote frontier of a country devastated by a coup. High on the forested slopes, she survives by hunting and trading - and forgetting. But when a young soldier comes to the mountains in search of a local myth, Ren is inexorably drawn into her impossible mission. As their lives entwine, unravel and erupt - as myths merge with reality - both Ren and the soldier are forced to confront what they regret, what they love and what they fear.

Robbie Arnott’s stunning second novel remakes our relationship with the natural world. The Rain Heron is equal parts horror and wonder and utterly gripping.

Shortlisted, Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize (for Flames), United Kingdom, 2019

Shortlisted, Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction (for Flames), 2019

Longlisted, Indie Book Awards for Debut Fiction (for Flames), 2019

Shortlisted, UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing, NSW Premier's Literary Awards (for Flames), 2019

Shortlisted, Queensland Literary Awards: University of Queensland Fiction Book Award (for Flames), 2018

Shortlisted, Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction (for Flames), 2018

Shortlisted, Katheen Mitchell Award, 2019

Longlisted, ALS Gold Medal, 2019

Longlisted, Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2019

Shortlisted, Tasmania Book Prize, Premier's Literary Awards, 2019

Shortlisted, Margaret Scott Prize, Premier's Literary Awards, 2019

Longlisted, Voss Literary Prize, 2019