Australian independent booksellers have announced DUSK by ROBBIE ARNOTT (Picador Australia) as the best book from the last year, and the winner of the Indie Book Awards 2025 Book of the Year.
The Book of the Year is voted by independent booksellers across the country from the six category winners. Bookseller judge Claire Leyton from Paperchain Bookstore Manuka (ACT) described Arnott’s book: “From the very beginning I was captivated by the language and story. Robbie paints this beautifully vivid picturesque world that is harsh and can be brutal but is also wonderful and breathtaking. I felt like I could see and touch the world inside these pages. I also loved that nothing felt unnecessary, every word felt like it was there for a reason.”
Sentiments shared with bookseller judge Naomi Gibson from Novel Nook Yarra Glen (VIC) commenting on Arnott’s book: “Robbie Arnott’s writing has a distinct, effortless quality that immediately pulls me in. This is a colonial adventure where the landscape isn’t just a setting—it’s a character in itself. At times, it feels breathtakingly real; at others, it’s reimagined and reshaped into something entirely its own.
The weary Renshaw twins head north in search of work and an elusive, man-eating puma. As the terrain shifts, so too does their understanding of the land—its history, its beauty, and the violence embedded within it. This is quintessential Robbie Arnott territory, and he navigates it masterfully.
The ending felt like pure catharsis. His writing always makes me see the landscape in a new light—nothing escapes his eye. I feel lucky to be a reader while he’s a writer.”
The individual category winners in Fiction, Debut Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s and Young Adult were also announced. From these six category winners, the independent booksellers selected the best of the best – The 2025 Indie Book of the Year.
The Winners for the Indie Book Awards 2025 are:
BOOK OF THE YEAR
Dusk by Robbie Arnott (Picador Australia)
FICTION
Dusk by Robbie Arnott (Picador Australia)
NON-FICTION
Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak (Picador Australia)
DEBUT FICTION
All The Bees in the Hollows by Lauren Keegan (Affirm Press)
ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION
The Paintings of Criss Canning by Criss Canning (Thames & Hudson Australia)
CHILDREN’S
All the Beautiful Things by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
YOUNG ADULT
My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery (Allen & Unwin Children's)
The Indie Book Awards would like to gratefully acknowledge the 2025 Awards Sponsors:
Book of the Year Award sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers
Fiction Award sponsored by Allen & Unwin
Non-Fiction Award sponsored by Melbourne University Press
Debut Fiction Award sponsored by Affirm Press
Illustrated Non-Fiction Award sponsored by Thames & Hudson
Children’s Award sponsored by Simon & Schuster Australia
Young Adult Award sponsored by Penguin Random House
The Indie Book Awards are proudly coordinated by Leading Edge Retail.
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