Rainfish by Andrew Paterson

Aaron lives on ‘struggle street’ in a small town in far north Queensland with his mother and older brother Connor. His father is an absent presence with no connection to the family. At the turning point in life when moving from Primary to High School, Aaron passively decides to join an older boy in a theft from the local church. From this point on Aaron is hounded by the guilt of his actions (or his inaction) and is unable to escape the creeping company of this cloud on his life. Appearing in his mind as a black panther, Aaron continues through the summer of transition constantly struggling with what to do next and living with the fear of being found out. At the same time, his mother starts a new relationship with Pete, Aaron’s friendships and relationship with Connor are stretched and the small community where he lives is inundated with a phenomenal flood event. Going fishing and hooking the Mudcod, otherwise known as the Rainfish, prior to the flood also raises concerns for Aaron as he considers whether his actions caused the inundation.

This is a poignant story inside the worries and concerns of the naive young lad and the environment of the far northern tropical community is almost a character of imposing nature as the story progresses. Although the metaphor of the panther is understandable as Aaron deals with guilt, I suspect that a crocodile would have made more sense as the menacing embodiment of guilt in the Australian tropical environment.  There are moments when you want Aaron to be revealed as a participant in the crime and punished accordingly for the theft and his lies and deception, but then Andrew Paterson has also created sympathy for the young boy who is quietly battling the changes in his life, the powerlessness of youth and the struggles of identity in a poor isolated community. The discussion about the use of the ‘F’ word amongst Aaron’s young acquaintances creates a blot in my mind about this book, I understand its inclusion, but I wish it wasn’t necessary. This is a somewhat pessimistic story, and the conclusion is anti-climactic and with only the merest glimmer of hope in the mire of hopelessness and yet it is compelling in a dark and sad way – a lot like a swampy mire has its own intrigue and mystery. I am not sure if this is a story to recommend to a young audience, I suspect that the metaphorical depictions could best be recognised and appreciated by older readers, even though the main character is quite young.

Editor's note: Rainfish won the 2020 Text Prize. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Guilt, Fear, Family, Boyhood.

Carolyn Hull