The Thinning
Inga Simpson
The Thinning
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 mother and father, 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. Terry is 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 a plan to help restore the natural world - and humankind.
The Thinning is both an exquisitely written novel of nature and urgent psychological suspense by the bestselling and acclaimed author of Willowman, The Last Woman in the World and Mr Wigg.
Review
Angela Crocombe
In Inga Simpson’s seventh novel, she writes atmospherically about the Australian bush, specifically the Warrumbungle Ranges and Mount Kaputar in Gamilaraay Country, NSW. The story is set in a near-future Australia, where climate change has ravaged the country and impacted many aspects of life. Finlay’s mother is an astrophotographer, and her father was a famous astronomer. They were working at the Parkes Observatory, but now Finlay and her mother are illegals, living off the grid with a band of like-minded people in the bush.
A new genus of humans has been born, known as ‘Incompletes’, with big eyes perfect for staring at screens and bodies ill-suited to the outdoors. When Finlay is spotted by a teenage Incomplete, Terry, in the bush, the group of illegals must go on the run. Terry and Finlay are sent on a cross country journey to Mount Kaputar to be in place for the imminent solar eclipse. Finlay’s mother has something big planned and Finlay doesn’t know what it is, but she is crucial for its success.
Beautiful depictions of the native wildlife and ecosystems, with glorious stories of the stars in the night sky, feature alongside the extinction crisis, space junk and climate change. The second half of this eco-thriller is a countdown to the eclipse, as Finlay and Terry jostle with bands of tourists and evade authorities to be in place for the lunar phenomena. This is a beautifully written story about nature, climate crisis, the night skies and humanity coming together.
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