{"product_id":"2026200005105-secondhand-tourmaline","title":"Tourmaline","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdition: First Edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good                  \u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Previous owner\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Jacket showing signs of usual aging but still intact and vibrant with cover art. Light foxing on block, pages otherwise crisp and fine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStep into the shimmering heat of the Western Australian outback in this haunting, allegorical masterpiece. The town of Tourmaline is a dying place, a \"dust-stricken\" landscape where the inhabitants live in a state of spiritual and physical drought. The fragile equilibrium of this isolated community is shattered when a water-diviner named Michael Random is found half-dead in the desert and brought back to health.\n\nAs Random begins to preach a message of salvation and claims the power to find water, he ignites a messianic fervor among the desperate townspeople. The tension builds as the \"Law\" of the town—the elderly, observant narrator—watches the citizens trade their reason for the intoxicating hope of a miracle. Random’s presence forces a psychological confrontation between faith and reality, leading to a climax that questions the very nature of human belief. Randolph Stow’s Tourmaline is a poetic and unsettling parable of the Australian soul, exploring how easily the promise of a savior can turn into a destructive obsession.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48755516539099,"sku":"2026200005105-SECONDHAND","price":45.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/e4f230c4-b970-4eb1-b242-a1e5cb88124f.png?v=1778221483","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200005105-secondhand-tourmaline","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}