Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.
I felt the writing was very confusing and not for me.
I am sure some people will love this book.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Rain Heron has a dreamlike, fairytale quality to it that I loved. In fact, the first part of the novel is exactly like a fairytale: an unlucky farmer is rewarded by becoming more prosperous, but in remembering the hard times that they had, the farmer shares their wealth. However, a jealous neighbour soon makes their feelings felt, and no one comes out of the situation well.

Further away, near the sea, another mans jealousy of nature has terrible consequences, causing poverty and abandonment of a seaside village.

These threads of story are interwoven with that of a woman who lives alone in the mountains in order to escape the effects of a military coup. But the soldiers come looking for her - and for the Rain Heron.

This is a book about mans need to control nature and their inability to. The more man tries to control it, the more damage is done.

I loved the feel of this novel. It’s a fable of our modern times, about how our actions are having a lasting and devastating effect on our climate and nature.

I would most definitely recommend this book, and Arnott’s previous book as well, Flames, if you haven’t read it. Both are masterpieces in magical realism. Rain Heron is a timely book as we come to realise just what an impact climate change is having on our world, and comes highly recommended from me!

I enjoy fable-like stories or those that reference them and when I saw this title, I was captivated and intrigued by the image and concept of a rain heron. It reminded me of reading The Crane Wife and so I thought why not, see what this eco-fable was about.

The first chapter tells what I imagined was the original fable of the rain heron and the unlucky farmer, and from what I can gather, the author has made this story up as well. It's a story of a woman running a farm, the daughter of generations of farmers, but one who struggles for many reasons no matter what methods she tries.

Until one day a big storm comes and destroys nearly everything; at the end of which she is found curiously draped over the branches of an old oak tree. More curious than this was the large heron that rose out of the floodwaters, leaving not a ripple behind it, that landed on the branch beside her. The birds blue grey feathers were so light, they were almost transparent. When it flew off, water fell from its wings like rain. Its appearance changed the fortune of the unlucky farmer, until the neighbour's jealous son's envy caused her bad luck to return.

So is it a fable? It's a tale of someone who has bad luck, who for a period their luck changes, but as with life, good luck causes jealously in others, who have destructive tendencies. And so the bad luck continues.

"I just set out to write a story where real characters or characters that felt real had their lives intertwined with the nature fable."

Arnott then begins a new story in four parts, in which we meet Ren, a woman who has left her home after a military coup and gone to live in the mountains. She is virtually self-sufficient apart from occasional exchanges with a man named Barlow and his son. We don't know exactly why she fled or what the coup was about, but the man alerts her to the presence of soldiers searching the mountainside for something, a group of four lead by a young woman referred to as Harker. They are in search of evidence of a myth and they will make Ren suffer until she divulges what she knows and leads them to its source.

In the second part, we go back in time to a seaside settlement in the South and meet Zoe and her Aunt, just as the girl is being initiated into the village tradition of ink gathering, a secret trade that is shared with no one. A Northener arrives seeking knowledge and is spurned, he turns towards destructive means and with everything that follows Zoe leaves.

The story returns to Harker and her troops and their journey, here I felt the story waned, a few connections had been made and the interwoven nature of the parts revealed, but neither the landscape nor the characters gain traction, Harker is determined in her mission, but self-destructive in her nature and has lost whatever empathy she ever had. Her previous actions are hard to understand.

Most of Arnott's characters are women and I did find myself pausing early on and wondering why he chose to inhabit so many female characters, the unlucky farmer, the woman surviving in the mountain, the leader of the army group. I made a note when this thought arose, because these women were all acting in ways often attributed to men, Harker uses brutal tactics to change Ren's mind; Ren has abandoned her son.

In an interview Arnott says it made more sense for him to portray those characters as women, because it required them to demonstrate resilience, something he considered more of a female trait within the story. Because they were spending a lot of time in the wilderness, he thought writing them as male characters would come across as cliché, referring to woman as having:

"that gentle, firm, methodical way of dealing with problems as opposed to letting anger and frustration rise to the surface"

The author says he wasn't trying to convey a particular message, but the situations he puts his characters in and the familiarity of some of the climatic events that occur make it a thought provoking story, and I think it's all the better for not coming to any conclusion or moral, but for it to exist as a catalyst for discussion of those various controversial situations that arise.

My favourite character and the one we spend too little time with was the rain heron, who spends most of the book hidden away, but listening to Arnott talk about his inspiration behind the bird, who had magical qualities and was a kind of anti-hero, made me wish that the bird had had more of a presence. His point there was that in nature, birds and animals are really not interested in humanity, not in the way humans are interested in them, acting from instinct not from consideration. That said, he has created a creature that readers are indeed likely to be fascinated with!

I’m not quite sure about this, it’s very difficult to review holistically. Parts are raw, brutal, shocking and others emotional. Arnott gives the reader food for thought. The way he writes is imaginative, beautiful and rich.

Is it a myth or a fable? Quite surreal filled with brutality and benevolence. From one extreme to the other.

This is a very cleverly written plot which neatly brings together the lives of the key characters throughout their journey, to the very end.

It includes climate change issues and their dramatic effect on the environment, with particular relevance to the seasons, the economy and the way in which people behave, all of which results in a coup.

The focus is on a Rain Heron, a mythical and legendary bird created with water that affects the weather and can and does brutally damage those that cross its path with the intention to harm.

It starts with a woman farmer who struggles and loses everything twice which brings about her demise, which is unfortunate as she helped her community when she had picked herself up from the first drought. She had a strong ethical character and there is a moral in the story to determine by yourselves.

Then you’re introduced to Ren. You instantly think that the book is about Ren, a woman that lives off grid from the land, foraging in the forest, her home a cave, bartering with a father and his young son for supplies. She has chosen a hermit lifestyle which is intriguing, what happened to Ren for her to withdraw from society?

However it’s more about Lieutenant Harker, and how she ended up where she did after quite a brutal start to life.

Lieutenant Harker and her soldiers were given the task of finding and capturing the Rain Heron, whatever the cost. She was cruel, vicious and savage in parts carrying out hateful deeds, however there is a softer side to Harker and she can be kind and thoughtful, wanting to do the right thing in the end.

Then there’s Zoe, a young girl who lives with her aunt who teaches her how to harvest squid ink using human blood. This is all well and good until the Northerner arrived and the market for squid ink dries up, which has a devastating impact on her and her life.

The way in which Arnott writes encouraged my imagination to run wild, he created scenes that excited, shocked and entranced me. The story was compelling and it captivated me. Arnott weaved the lives of each character throughout to the end which was enlightening.

Definitely 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. Would highly recommend.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and @atlanticbooks for this eARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

The Rain Heron is a difficult book to describe, but reads for the most part as a sort of eco-dystopia with glimmers of magical realism. It tells the story of a country in environmental, economic and social chaos, ruled by a militia which aims to capture the legendary rain heron in order to be able to bend nature to their will. Reading almost like a fable, The Rain Heron provides discourse on the human need to control their environment, often to calamitous effect.

From the opening prologue I was engrossed by this book, and drawn in by the author's ability to so expertly convey the story's moral. The characters were deeply engaging, the plot simple but effective and the ending poignant. The writing style was exceptional, creating such vivid and almost cinematic impressions of the slow-burning narrative. Action is not in abundance here, but there's no lack in tension or atmosphere.

The Rain Heron is a stunningly decadent tale of mythical creatures and the price our humanity pays on the natural world. Billed as an ‘eco-fable’, the story of The Rain Heron is centered around a legendary bird made of water that can affect the weather of the land surrounding it – and by proxy, the impact that has on humans. The story follows Ren, a woman who lives and forages in the forests, and Lieutenant Harker who has been charged with finding and capturing the heron.

From the outset, the vivid language and opulent vocabulary woven through the pages makes for an atmosphere rich in imagery. I loved the tone of the storytelling and felt as though my senses were heightened as I witnessed Arnott’s landscape inside my brain in HD technicolour.

Being told through four non-linear parts of differing perspectives enables the reader to explore the various personality traits of the main characters and see their unique interpretations and views of the world. Although each character has different motivations, the main message is crystal clear – looking after nature is everyone’s responsibility and we all need to do our bit to prevent the disastrous ramifications that its desolation will bring upon our planet.

I have to admit, when Part Two hit, I did wonder if this were more a compilation of tales rather than just one story but by sticking with it and moving on to the remaining parts, the story neatly weaves itself together and further explains certain characters’ justifications for their actions. This notion of consequence is seen mostly through Lieutenant Harker (whether she is directly affected or an observing bystander) and I really enjoyed the way her character arc changed and developed throughout her journey in the story.

I’d love to think that a rainbow heron existed once upon a time. The bird itself is a powerful symbol within the book and gave the novel a parable feeling – almost like an ancient myth you would use to explain to children where rain comes from. The quest for the legendary creature made me feel as if I was reading the adult Pokémon novel I’ve been waiting for all my life mixed in with a highly poignant ecological sentiment.

Arnott has a standout voice and has spun such a timeless, relevant novel for our times. I found it deeply moving and it really made me consider the balance we need to find between our human world and our natural world. Rather than keep taking from nature, we need to find ways in which we can give back and preserve the heritage of our air, lands, seas and all creatures great and small for future generations. If you love tales from the environmental world which resonate a true, meaningful mantra then you need to take a leap into the world of The Rain Heron!

I may dream about the south sea squid ink harvest for years to come.

A mythical bird, made of water. A woman who retreated to the mountains, after the coup. A girl growing up in a working coastal town. And the damage we do, to each other, to the world around us, to ourselves...

It’s bloody, raw and violent, in a human vs nature kind of way, yet I absolutely loved this book. The writing’s beautiful, the landscapes are vivid, and the story came together in unexpected ways. I can’t wait for other people to read this one.

Thank you #netgalley and #atlanticbooks for an advance e-book and the chance to review this title. Opinions are my own.

The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
This is book which fees as though the author is recounting ancient myths when they are in fact stories he has created. The book is embedded in nature and it feels as if the book is drenched with rain and seawater.
In the first half of the novel there are stories which do not, initially, appear to be linked to each other. They are set in an unnamed country but which could be an Australia which has been affected by a coup and climate change. We encounter Ren, a farmer, who has been scraping an existence alone for years. She never knows what it is like to go to bed with a full stomach. Then there is a terrible storm and Ren is discovered by a group of teenagers up in a tree and a ghostly heron appears which seems to be keeping a vigil by her. This is beautifully described.
''But more curious than this was what they saw next: a huge heron, the colour of rain, suddenly emerging from the flood in a fast, steep flight, leaving not even a ripple on the water beneath it. With a languid flap on its wings it came to rest in the crown of the oak, standing over the unlucky farmer, as if on a guard.''
After this her farm prospers and she becomes rich. But the rain heron can also wreak terrible destruction. We also encounter Lieutenant Zoe Harker a soldier who will stop at nothing to get what she wants and what she wants is to capture the rain heron with Ren’s help. A wonderfully original and imaginative book which I thoroughly enjoyed I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read it in return for an honest review.

This beautiful book is magical and mysterious with darkness at its edges. Arnott's ability to evoke landscapes, storms and the natural world so vividly makes this it immersive and so compelling.

Arnott's debut Flames was one of my surprise favourites of 2018, so I was excited to see he had a new novel coming out this year. And I'm pleased to report this one is even better.

Once again seamlessly melding literary fiction and magical realism, The Rain Heron transports the reader to a world at war, a world where the environment has been severely impacted as a result. The blurb describes the novel as an "eco-fable" which I'd agree with - the narrative follows two main characters, Ren and Zoe, and examines the relationship humans have with the natural world, and how our dependence on it is a blessing we too often take for granted -- and how our relentless manipulation of it will ultimately be to our detriment. The landscapes Arnott portrays are beautiful but devastated, and the combination of this with well-painted characters makes for a stunning novel.

Beautiful. Evocative. Distressing - but only because we are the humans in awe of nature and yet have not learnt of our power to do such damage by destroying it.
This is a supremely well written literary novel by an Australian author that evokes a prose version of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's magical 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.'
Crossing between a naturalist guide to an eco fable Ren is the main character who is isolated yet under the spell of the heron bird who brings both hope and despair to those in whom it contacts.
The landscapes are wonderfully portrayed and human are the insignificant (but of course) deadly bystanders to the greatness of the natural world and all it has to offer.
So exceptionally rare to find something to read that differs from all else, no wonder this book has been nominated for so many awards. Will appeal to all generations and I hope will gather momentum in the UK to be read. It is a book of hope that we all need at the moment.

Wow! What an incredible book. Rather than review this book part of me would simply like to say read it, you won’t be disappointed. In an unspecified country Ren a farmer is driven off her land as a military coup rages. Zoe collects squid ink with her grandmother but catastrophe hits the local community and she joins the army. Zoe is tasked with finding a mythical rain heron for her superiors but only Ren can help her find it but she closely guards her secret. Does Ren reveal her secrets ... read this fantastic book to find out.