The Thinning
Published on 26. June 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-7515-7860-7 (ISBN)
Description
'Storytelling at its best. I was enthralled' Sarah Winman
(on Inga Simpson's Willowman)
'Stunningly wrought . . . The Thinning moves with the compressed momentum of a thriller towards a spectacular climax' Guardian
'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 urgent thriller by the bestselling and acclaimed author of Willowman and The Last Woman in the World.
'No label can fully do justice to the essence, the quality, the depth of a tale that's as subtle yet momentous as The Thinning. It is one of those rare novels you may wish to read again' ARTSHUB
'Heart-racing . . . [An] emotive tour de force' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
'Incandescent . . . An electric and melancholy tale, disturbingly believable but ultimately - and surprisingly - hopeful' THE STELLA PRIZE JUDGES
'An emotional tribute to the natural world. Moving. Urgent. Beautifully written' KAREN VIGGERS
'Incandescent, righteously angry, superbly constructed' MICHAEL WINKLER
(on Inga Simpson's Willowman)
'Stunningly wrought . . . The Thinning moves with the compressed momentum of a thriller towards a spectacular climax' Guardian
'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 urgent thriller by the bestselling and acclaimed author of Willowman and The Last Woman in the World.
'No label can fully do justice to the essence, the quality, the depth of a tale that's as subtle yet momentous as The Thinning. It is one of those rare novels you may wish to read again' ARTSHUB
'Heart-racing . . . [An] emotive tour de force' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
'Incandescent . . . An electric and melancholy tale, disturbingly believable but ultimately - and surprisingly - hopeful' THE STELLA PRIZE JUDGES
'An emotional tribute to the natural world. Moving. Urgent. Beautifully written' KAREN VIGGERS
'Incandescent, righteously angry, superbly constructed' MICHAEL WINKLER
Reviews / Votes
The Thinning moves with the compressed momentum of a thriller towards a spectacular climax . . . stunningly wrought * Guardian * [An] emotive tour de force * Australian Women's Weekly * Inga Simpson writes beautifully about place and nature . . . There's an acute sense of observation and a quiet interest in the world * The Bookshelf, Radio National * A beautifully written story about nature, climate crisis, the night skies and humanity coming together * Readings * An epic and hopeful journey * Books + Publishing * There's a quest, a sort of odd-couple alliance, heart-thumping action and - again and again - beautiful descriptions of the land on which we live, and the skies that surround us * ABC News * Simpson's novel is taut, fast-paced and brimming with tension. Expertly structured, it weaves past and present together in a seamless, moving story * The Conversation * It's strong, resonant fiction . . . a literary dystopia written on a utopian palimpsest * The Age *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
351 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7515-7860-7 (9780751578607)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Inga Simpson began her career as a professional writer for government before gaining a PhD in creative writing. In 2011, she took part in the Queensland Writers Centre Manuscript Development Program and, as a result, Hachette Australia published her first novel, Mr Wigg, in 2013. Nest, Inga's second novel, was published in 2014 and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Stella Prize and shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal. Inga's third novel, the acclaimed Where the Trees Were, was published in 2016.
Inga was awarded the final Eric Rolls Prize for her nature writing and has obtained a second PhD, exploring the history of Australian nature writers. Inga's account of her love of Australian nature and life with trees, Understory, was published in 2017. Her first book for children, The Book of Australian Trees, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson, was published in 2021. The Last Woman in the World, her critically acclaimed environmental thriller, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for the 2022 Fiction Indie Book Award. Her bestselling and critically acclaimed 2022 novel Willowman was shortlisted for the BookPeople Adult Fiction Book of the Year 2023 and in 2024 was selected by Australia's leading booksellers in BookPeople's 100 Must-Read Australian Novels.
Inga lives on the New South Wales south coast among trees.
Inga was awarded the final Eric Rolls Prize for her nature writing and has obtained a second PhD, exploring the history of Australian nature writers. Inga's account of her love of Australian nature and life with trees, Understory, was published in 2017. Her first book for children, The Book of Australian Trees, illustrated by Alicia Rogerson, was published in 2021. The Last Woman in the World, her critically acclaimed environmental thriller, was published in 2021 and shortlisted for the 2022 Fiction Indie Book Award. Her bestselling and critically acclaimed 2022 novel Willowman was shortlisted for the BookPeople Adult Fiction Book of the Year 2023 and in 2024 was selected by Australia's leading booksellers in BookPeople's 100 Must-Read Australian Novels.
Inga lives on the New South Wales south coast among trees.