The Drowner
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 First edition | |
| Author | Robert Drewe |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan, Australia |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 329 |
| ISBN | 0732908582 |
| Preceded by | Our Sunshine |
| Followed by | Grace |
The Drowner (1996) is a novel by Australian author Robert Drewe.[1]
It was shortlisted for Miles Franklin Award, and won the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction and New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Book of the Year in 1997.
In the late 19th century an Englishman irrigator or "drowner", Will Dance, utilises ancient water-knowledge and modern technology to save a drought-ridden town in Western Australia.
Reviews
- Publishers' Weekly noted: "The desert mining town,..., comes fully to life, invigorated by crisp and moving portrayals of Drewe's minor characters and the monotonous beauty of the hostile (blessedly arid) countryside."[2]
- Garth Crawford in Woroni stated: "In his mastery of image, and spare but beautiful descriptions of this quest, Drewe reveals his strongest claim to pre-eminence. The Drowner is by an author who enjoys words, weighs and places each without mistaking linguistic asceticism for aestheticism."[3]