Limberlost

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- When Ned is five, his father loads him and his two older brothers into a boat, to go see a whale at the rivermouth that has the local community talking. It is the beginning of Ned's fascination with both the river and boats. Ten years later, when his brothers have joined up and Ned is left behind on the family orchard with his loving but taciturn war-damaged father, he starts to hunt rabbits. Ostensibly it is his way to contribute to the war effort, but he is really secretly saving the money to buy a boat.  

This beautifully rendered portrait of a boy coming of age in 1940s Tasmania is a quiet novel of great strength and gorgeous writing (sometimes you just stop and reread sentences because of their power and fineness). Concentrating mainly on the year that Ned leaves childhood behind, the novel follows him through his long life and great loves, particularly Callie who understands him without need of words. I do think this is a marvellous book, and that in regards to a sense of place, Arnott does for Tasmania what Winton does for Western Australia.   Lindy

‘Robbie Arnott is the sort of young writer we all hoped would emerge in Australia, a Conrad-like storyteller whose tales always tremble on the edge of the mythic and legendary. And as well as being a splendid narrator of tales, he has a quality too easily overlooked now. He writes beautifully! May his readers and his rewards abound!’ * Thomas Keneally * ‘Limberlost is as close to flawless as any book I have read in years. The poise and precision of Arnott’s writing lends restraint to the fury at Limberlost’s heart.’ * Jessie Greengrass, author of The High House * ‘Spectacular and stunning…Deeply moving.’ * Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City * ‘Ned—with his shame and pride—blazes his way into your heart. A tender, soaring novel from one of Australia’s finest writers.’ * Sisonke Msimang * ‘An exquisitely moving and intimate story that is more rooted in realism than Arnott’s previous works, but still carries the wonder and subtle magic his writing is known for…Arnott masterfully explores masculinity, brotherhood and familial love…Limberlost is another astonishing book from one of Australia’s most electrifying young authors.’ * Books+Publishing * ‘An unforgettable story, humble, transporting, and filled with grace and bravery. It’s one of the strongest things I’ve read for a very long time.’ * Cynan Jones, author of The Dig and Cove * ‘Robbie Arnott’s best so far…Perfectly balanced, just exquisite.’ * Rachel Edwards * ‘This book is something special: tender, sad, exceptionally well written [and] unexpectedly moving.’ * Ashleigh Wilson * ‘Robbie Arnott is a tremendously talented and unique voice in Australian literature, and his third novel, Limberlost, exceeded all my expectations. It is a gorgeously written coming-of-age novel…a touching and profound depiction of connection, grief and familial love…Limberlost is much more grounded in realism than Arnott’s previous novels…but still holds the same sense of wonder.’ * Readings * ‘Limberlost is an immersive experience, a story that is deeply embedded in the language of its environment, drawing much of its power from the places that surround and inform its characters…Though scaled right down to a single, humble life, Limberlost is lit up by the energy of that life’s relationships. It serves as a reminder of the complicated position humans occupy, tangled as we are in the webs of interdependence, of pain and responsibility and care, that bind us to a world much greater than ourselves.’ * Australian Book Review * ‘In Limberlost magic lies in lyrical language and the powerfully real characters brought to life through it…This is a novel about the deepest of emotions, about love, the fear of loss, and about joy.’ * Age * ‘It’s immersive, it’s emotional…A beautiful book…Glorious.’ * ABC Radio Hobart * ‘Arnott’s style has tempered into something rich and singing…[His] writing of the natural world is elegiac and elemental…[Limberlost has] a breathtakingly moving final scene.’ * Guardian * ‘Quiet wisdom [conveyed in a] potent and exquisitely crafted depiction of the delicate relationship between people and place.’ * Matilda Bookshop * ‘The ambition of Limberlost and the complex questioning that underpins it are fascinating and lend the book a hauntedness that is deeply affecting. Ned’s sensitivity, his striving and his jumbled, tightly held emotions are always handled with great subtlety, and Arnott’s deep compassion for his characters and willingness to leave space for all that is unanswerable make Limberlost a striking book, with lingering resonance and great heart.’ * Saturday Paper * ‘[Limberlost] is a beautifully-written and moving novel, and certainly one of the best books I’ve read all year…A coming-of-age story which lasts a lifetime.’ * David Griggs, Through the Biblioscope * ‘Limberlost is a tender study of the dangers of averting our gaze…[with] vivid writing of the more-than-human world.’ * Sydney Review of Books * ‘[Arnott’s novels] are just so good…There is so much tenderness and beauty and love [in Limberlost]…A gorgeous read…Arnott is a beautiful writer…I shed a little tear at the end.’ * ABC RN Breakfast * ‘Outstanding…The writing in this book is so beautiful…so evocative.’ * ABC RN Book Show * ‘[Limberlost] is thoughtful, insightful realism in exquisite prose…[it] is a beautiful textured novel.’ * ANZ LitLovers * ‘Arnott is one of the most exciting authors in Australia…He completes his literary hat-trick with Limberlost, a stunning novel…This is a book about violence and fear, but there’s a great tenderness, too…Not a word is wasted. Limberlost is powerful, lyrical and packs a hell of an emotional punch. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.’ * ABC Arts * ‘Creatures loom wondrously in this lyrical novel…The animal kingdom around Ned bursts with language…Powerful…As the novel progresses Arnott ventures into more wistful territory…[He expertly] captures Ned’s autumn of life.’ * Sunday Times (UK) * ‘Arnott’s writing has understated elegance and lilts to poetic rhythms. Its beauty hides an emotional punch made more powerful by its slow reveal…The writing is magnificent, and the characterisation of Ned is superb. A must-read novel.’ * Good Reading * ‘Extraordinarily imaginative…His writing is so exquisite…Full of striking images.’ * ABC TV Weekend Breakfast * ‘The magic is definitely present in [Limberlost] in the power of [Robbie Arnott’s] writing…Australian fiction at its best.’ * Coast Magazine * ‘[Arnott’s] ability to write sublimely about nature has never been in doubt. But what characterises Limberlost as a triumph is how the author manages to illustrate the simple poignancy of human drama.’ * Meanjin * ‘Limberlost is frequently exquisite…Its writing is alert to the language and imagery of mythology, and attuned to the living world…Arnott writes beautiful sentences.’ * Conversation * ‘The descriptions of the natural world are wonderfully vivid.’ * Daily Mail (UK) * ‘A luminously told, whole-life story of a young boy discovering how to be his own man…Arnott has an eye and an ear for description that can elevate otherwise quiet moments to something genuinely transcendent.’ * Guardian (UK) * ‘Tender and often exquisitely moving…An intimate portrait…Limberlost doesn’t claim to answer all of the complex questions it raises…However, in its haunted quality and understated sense of wonder, it does succeed in capturing some of the complexity of our relationships with the natural world.’ * West Australian * ‘Arnott’s third novel carries echoes of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpiece…It could be read as a sort of The Young Man and the Sea: a beautiful, pared-back exploration of masculinity, and the sustaining nature of dreams…Limberlost is a sensory rollercoaster. Arnott’s writing is unadorned, but thrillingly visceral…The joy of Limberlost, beyond the writing, is that, in Arnott’s rendering, nature is not always something to be wondered at, then subdued. The book is flecked with violence and rot, but there is much tenderness, too.’ * Big Issue (UK) * ‘Masterful storytelling.’ * BookPeople * ‘Unutterably beautiful.’ * Gleebooks * ‘There is mastery in the way [Robbie Arnott] captures the beauty and ferocity of the natural environment…Limberlost tracks the texture of memory and time…The essence of longing saturates the narrative, for a time lost and a future yet to be inhabited.’ * ArtsHub * ‘Finely told…[Reminds] us that the quintessence of our country…should remain indelible in our collective memory and perhaps be elevated into the realm of the heroic.’ * Australian * ‘Filled with wonder and reverence…Arnott has traded in the magical realism of his previous work for a deep sense of the personal, and the result is equally transcendent and immersive.’ * Big Issue * ‘Highly recommended…[Robbie Arnott is] at the peak of his game.’ * Herald Sun * ‘Robbie Arnott is establishing himself as one of Australia's best novelists…Beautifully written…For all those people who are waiting for the next Tim Winton novel.’ * Fairfield Books * ‘Robbie Arnott cements his reputation as one of Australia’s most affecting storytellers…Arnott uses the colours and creatures of the natural world to populate Ned’s world.’ * Australian * ‘Sentences sublime.’ * Pip Williams * ‘A gem.’ * Michael Winkler * ‘I’ve read Robbie Arnott’s Limberlost twice already. Calling it (hopefully not cursing it) for next year’s Miles Franklin shortlist.’ * Jennifer Down * ‘[Limberlost] further underlines [Arnott’s] mastery of nature writing.’ * Jock Serong * ‘Singing prose…This coming-of-age story confirms Robbie Arnott as a masterly writer of eco-fiction.’ * The Times (UK) * ‘One of the great reading experiences of the year…Just perfect.’ * ABC Radio Melbourne * ‘A pitch-perfect story steeped in beautiful writing about the natural world.’ * Age * ‘The end of the story fashions an extraordinary emotional catharsis in the lead character, bringing a closure that I’ve not seen executed well elsewhere in literature. This novel will win a swag of awards in 2023, mark my words.’ * Triple R * ‘Never have I read the natural world, or masculinity, written like it…Robbie Arnott has fundamentally (and with such terrible, aching tenderness) nailed it.’ * Helen Jukes, author of A Honeybee Heart has Five Openings * ‘Absolutely exquisite on every level.’ * Karen Ginnane * ‘Absolutely exquisite on every level.’ * Karen Ginnane * ‘Poignant…Arnott’s beautifully descriptive language shows his love of the Tasmanian landscape, as he allows Ned to find deep solace in the nature that surrounds him.’ * Openbook * ‘Sturdy writing about humble, decent people. [Limberlost] is the work of an author sufficiently confident in his powers that he tailors his style to the story. In so doing [Robbie Arnott] has produced a gem sure to give readers joy for years to come.’ * 2023 Age Book of the Year for Fiction judges comments *