Shelf Reflection is our series where we explore the bookshelves and reading habits of some of our favourite authors. In this latest instalment, Robbie Arnott talks to us about bookseller recommendations, comfort reading and his latest novel, Dusk.
Images: Supplied.
Dusk tracks the hunt for a puma. How did this story come about?
As a child I camped on a friend’s highland farm on the shores of Lake Echo. At dawn we’d climb out of our tents and see herds of feral deer skipping through the trees, almost like ghosts in the mist. Years later, I was hiking around these places and remembered those mornings. And then I was thinking about creatures in liminal spaces, the strange horrors of the colonial transportation of species and the colonial project in general, and the harsh beauty of this remote landscape—and then Dusk herself arrived in my mind. After that, the novel kicked and clawed its way out of my head.
What kind of research and reading did you do to write this novel?
I did a lot of bushwalking. I spoke to a lot of people from the highlands. I watched a lot of YouTube videos about pumas. I read and thought and wrestled with the past and present of border places, where burgeoning agricultural areas ran right up to wild country. Other than that, I tried to stay away from too much reality.
What does your book collection look like?
My wife and I had some bookshelves put in, so the books kind of dominate the house, which we like. There are also a few smaller bookshelves for picture books, as well as an ungodly stack beside my bed. The books are everywhere really. If I go to someone’s house and they don’t have any books I usually find a way to get out of there.
What are you currently reading?
Last week Gavin from Matilda Bookshop kindly gave me a copy of When I Sing, Mountains Dance by the Catalan writer Irene Sola. It follows the history and mysteries of a small village in the Pyrenees, with each chapter narrated by a different character or force of nature. We hear from the local bailiff, the ghosts of suspected witches, a grieving mother, a wild storm, chanterelle mushrooms, a blow-in from Barcelona, the tectonic plates that birthed the mountains themselves and many more. It’s incredible.
Images left to right: When I Sing, Mountains Dance (2019) and Robbie’s library (supplied).
What kind of reader are you?
I usually have one novel and one non-fiction book on the go, although that varies. I used to write in the morning and read at night, but now I have kids I just do either whenever I have time. I rarely re-read books, although when I’m properly sick I read The Hobbit. It’s very comforting.
What books are you constantly recommending other people read?
Lately I’ve been telling everyone I meet to read The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry because it’s terrific in a multitude of ways. But if I don’t know someone’s reading tastes that well, I tell them to read Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. When they ask what it’s about, I just keep telling them to read it. If they argue, I mention that it’s quite short and that usually does the trick.
Are there any books on writing craft that have informed your practice?
No, I don’t read any of that stuff.
What’s next for you?
I don’t really know. I rarely do. I’m trying to write a new book about kelp. Trying to move house. Trying to figure it all out.
Dusk is out now via Pan Macmillan Australia.
