Robbie Arnott’s fourth novel, Dusk, opens with a nod to a persistent and almost comical rumour that circulates in Australian folklore: the tale of big cats prowling the bush and forests. While there is little evidence to suggest pumas were ever transported to or held in captivity in Lutrawita/Tasmania, the novel embraces this myth, making the mysterious presence of a puma named Dusk all the more captivating.
The novel starts with a rumour, reminiscent of the “mad whale” that opens Arnott’s previous novel Limberlost:
