The Thinning

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.