Flames

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD BEST YOUNG AUSTRALIAN NOVELIST 2019

WINNER OF THE MARGARET SCOTT PRIZE 2019

In Robbie Arnott's widely acclaimed and much-loved first novel, a young man named Levi McAllister decides to build a coffin for his sister, Charlotte—who promptly runs for her life. A water rat swims upriver in quest of the cloud god. A fisherman hunts for tuna in partnership with a seal. And a father takes form from fire.

The answers to these riddles are to be found in this tale of grief and love and the bonds of family, tracing a journey across the southern island. Utterly original in conception, spellbinding in its descriptions of nature and celebration of language, Flames is one of the most exciting debuts of recent years.

‘A strange and joyous marvel.'

Richard Flanagan

‘Ambitious storytelling from a stunning new Australian voice. Flames is constantly surprising—I never knew where the story would take me next. This book has a lovely sense of wonder for the world. It's brimming with heart and compassion.'

Rohan Wilson

‘Robbie Arnott is a vivid and bold new voice in Australian fiction.'

Danielle Wood

‘Visionary, vivid, full of audacious transformations: there's a marvellous energy to this writing that returns the world to us aflame. A brilliant and wholly original debut.'

Gail Jones

‘Arnott skilfully switches between different voices and genres in a trick reminiscent of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. The range he displays is impressive, swinging from fable to gothic horror to hardboiled detective story.'

Books+Publishing

‘Flames is an exuberantly creative and confident debut. This is a story that sparks with invention…Invigorating, strange and occasionally brutal.'

Australian Book Review

‘This is the kind of book that you'll be able to read a second, third, even fourth time, and it will still never reveal all its secrets. Composed with meticulous attention to detail, and a mastery of form rarely found in a debut novel, Flames will keep you stewing long after you've finished reading it.'

Readings

‘A surprising story with a definite feminist edge…the novel's playfulness and poetry make for a fresh and entertaining read.'

Saturday Paper

‘Arnott confidently borrows from the genres of crime fiction, thriller, romance, comedy, eco-literature, and magical realism, throws them in the air, and lets the pieces land to form a flaming new world.' Sydney Morning Herald

‘This is a startlingly good first novel, stylistically adventurous, gorgeous in its descriptions and with a compelling narrative that should find a wide readership.' The Australian