The Thinning

A powerful literary page-turner about two young people in a race against time to reach a monumental solar eclipse, from famed Australian novelist Inga Simpson.

We haven't always lived like this . . .

Fin grew up by an observatory, learning about telescopes and planets, inspired by the passions of her parents, then leaders in their fields of astrophotography and astronomy. Those days are long over. Now Fin, her mother, Dianella, and a band of outliers live deep off the grid, always on amber alert and always ready to run.

In the outside world, things are not good: extinctions and a loss of diversity threaten what's left of the environment. With a new disaster looming, Fin finds herself thrust into an unlikely partnership with a stranger who has appeared in their camp—one of a new breed of evolved humans, the Incompletes, who are widely distrusted. But the pair will need to work together during a dangerous journey if they are to play their part in an audacious plan to help restore the natural world—and humankind.

The Thinning is both an exquisitely written novel of nature and an urgent thriller by the bestselling and acclaimed author of Willowman and The Last Woman in the World.

'A spine-tingling literary thriller that will keep you racing to the end. The Thinning blurs the lines between animal, human and adaptation, and provides a gripping glimpse of our possible future through a fascinating astrological lens. An emotional tribute to the natural world. Moving. Urgent. Beautifully written' — KAREN VIGGERS, author of The Orchardist's Daughter

'Opened the cover; lost the rest of the day. Incandescent, righteously angry, superbly constructed. I am grateful for the reading experience, and grateful that the book was written and published' — MICHAEL WINKLER, Miles Franklin Award-shortlisted author of Grimmish

'This is a book I wanted to race through and savour in equal measures. Simpson is a writer of astonishing insight into the ways humans simultaneously destroy and revere the environment, and The Thinning is an urgent, exceptional novel. Her best yet' — ELEANOR LIMPRECHT, author of The Coast

'Grapples with ecological turmoil and grief [with] heart and humanity . . . Simpson's respect and knowledge of Country and astronomy shine through in the evocative language, drawing an exquisite image in the reader's mind . . . An epic and hopeful journey, perfect for readers of thrillers and novels such as Robbie Arnott's Limberlost' — BOOKS+PUBLISHING

'Heart-racing . . . [An] emotive tour de force' — THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY