Dusk

Set in the highlands of Tasmania, twins Iris and Floyd are looking for a way to make money. Having heard that a bounty has been offered by farmers to kill a puma that is roaming the mountains the twins decide to try their luck. Many people have tried to catch the puma, known as Dusk, with five people so far being killed by the large cat.

In the novel Dusk, Robbie Arnott has used the myth that occurs in a number of parts of Australia that a large cat roams in sections of the countryside. The twins are told how some early settlers brought deer to Australia to hunt and over time the numbers increased damaging properties and the environment. In this story pumas were imported to control the deer but it was not successful.

 Dusk is a well written book that absorbs the reader into the descriptions of the Tasmanian wilderness as they follow the story of the inhabitants of the region and the hunt for the puma. Gradually the reader learns of the back story of the twins and why they are in this predicament. They also learn that not everyone wants the puma killed.

 Dusk is a welcome addition to the wide range of Australian literature now available.

Dusk won the 2025 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year.

Dusk also won the 2025 Indie Book Award for fiction plus the overall book award.

Dusk - ANZ LitLovers