Once

by Annie Raser-Rowland

A volcano erupts and famine takes hold. A young girl steals an axe and makes her way in the world. Pollen is released, microorganisms multiply, two children must fend for themselves in the forest. Observing it all is a storyteller who straddles past and present.

Once is a retelling of a tale you already know. In this telling, humans are only one thread within a vivid tapestry of lifeforms responding to calamity. Annie Raser-Rowland's genre-bending work of eco-ficition paints a compelling portrait of the tender, terrible interconnectedness of our world.

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2024

Reviews

[rae]

Mesmerising, visceral

[Maureen Lucivero]

This medieval tale has no dialogue yet the writing is amazingly evocative. The characters, human and animal are drawn with verbal brilliance. An unusual and fascinating book

[Harriet Sjöqvist]

Om ja nånsin känner mig som en fuck up ska jag tänka på Hans // Team Brida

Fint att läsa hur allt i naturen hänger ihop o går i cykler

[Megan]

Shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards 2025