Is romance the highest selling fiction genre in the world? Yes, it is. And why is that? It’s because there’s nothing readers like more than a good comfort read, some hilarious rom-com, and a dash of loving. Author Anita Heiss knows this as well as anyone, and while she also writes non-fiction, historical fiction and children’s books, she has the most fun with her contemporary rom-coms. Her latest, Red Dust Running (Simon and Schuster 2025) is a wonderful romp complete with cowboys, blinged jeans, too-tight boots, rodeos, awesome hats, romance / desire / passion, and a fabulous group of tiddas who love nothing more than an adventure and a cool time with a hot man.
Annabelle has moved back to Brisbane after a relationship gone wrong in Sydney left both her personal and professional life in tatters. She’s starting again, in a dream job curating First Nations art in a city gallery. Annabelle is whip smart (if not always self-aware), elegant and charismatic. She loves running, living the good life (the finest hotels, delicious food, cocktails, glamorous evenings) and spending quality time with her best friends Angel, CJ and MJ. (She also has a soft spot for Charles, but he’s ‘mechanical’, so very easy to have around.)
She moves into her apartment and almost immediately has not one but three handsome, attractive and potentially boyfriend-material guys on the scene. The first is Daniel, a local First Nations artist, who impresses Annabelle so much with his talent that she decides to showcase his art front and centre at the gallery exhibition opening. The second, Dusty, is Daniel’s brother, although he couldn’t be more different. He’s a fair dinkum cowboy, very comfortable riding bulls and campdrafting in the middle of the red dust of western Queensland. And the third is Michael, Annabelle’s new neighbour, who quickly becomes her daily running partner and a good friend. You could say Annabelle is spoilt for choice – her friends certainly think so, and they waste no time in scheduling her life and recommending which man she should spend time with and why (or why not).
But the most important thing to know about Annabelle is that she is first and foremost a professional, dedicated equally to both her art and her activism. Will either of these pursuits get in the way of her dream man?
One aspect of the writing of Annabelle I admire is Heiss’ commitment to making her main character full of flaws, self-doubt and anxieties. Annabelle questions her choices and her decisions but she also reflects on her own characteristics, wondering at various points whether she is too opinionated or set in her ways. She has a way of looking at the world and tends to shy away from (or try to change) people who don’t agree with her, but as the narrative progresses, there are a few key moments when she realises that ‘different people, different life experiences and journeys mean different priorities’, even if values are aligned.
No matter what genre Heiss writes, one aspect is guaranteed – her devotion to truth-telling, respect for Elders, acknowledgement of the connection of First Nations’ people with the land, the wisdom of stories and culture and the importance of family. These themes run consistently through all her books, sometimes in a subtle way and sometimes discussed with the fervour of conviction.
And I think that’s one reason why her rom-com novels are so popular. Not only are they a great, easy, light-hearted read (with plenty of romance and the occasional blushing sexy bit too) but they don’t shy away from contemporary Australian discourse on reconciliation and the traditional owners of the land. However, she manages to weave this through her books with the lightest touch, so that these issues are discussed in casual conversation between characters, and demonstrated through actions (or inactions) rather than simply preached about. In this way, I feel sure that even readers who are here solely for the romance will close this book being a little more knowledgeable or aware or empathetic towards the history of this country and the waves from colonisation that still ripple through contemporary society.