The Rain Heron

Arnott’s vibrant and violent latest (after Flames) follows two women on their hunt for a mythical creature in the aftermath of a violent military coup. After a folkloric sketch about a legendary rain heron’s ability to grant both bounty and destruction, Arnott shifts to Ren, an older woman living on a mountain whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of army lieutenant Zoe Harker, a veteran of the coup. Zoe has been ordered to capture the rain heron, and she tries to force Ren to reveal the bird’s location. Ren resists, leading to a fight in which Zoe loses an eye. Flashbacks flesh out Zoe’s childhood in a seaside town, where a stranger kills Zoe’s aunt for defying him, an episode that leads Zoe to realize, in the present, that she’s become the invader. As Zoe continues the search for the rain heron with Ren in tow and her medic, Daniel, tending to both women’s wounds, Arnott describes mythic scenery (“Soon after entering these wild fields the road doglegged, and over this bend Daniel saw the river’s death”). Though the plot doesn’t always hang together, Arnott fascinates with fable-like stories and thoughtful meditations on the consequences of lessons learned too late. The beautiful imagery and magical moments carry the reader through an occasionally bumpy journey. (Feb.)