Inga Simpson's dystopian sci-fi is cinematic in scope, despite clocking in at just over 200 pages. Each chapter packs a punch and the descriptive writing about the landscapes of Australia and the effect climate change and modern life is having on them is sobering, but beautifully presented.

In fact, Simpson's writing is so good, I sped through this book in just an afternoon because I just couldn't get enough of it. While it was fast-paced and thrilling, there was also a wisp of nostalgia and melancholy throughout the book, which I feel added weight to overarching message.

I've never read any of Simpson's work before, but after reading this, I will be seeking it out to read more of her lyrical and moving work.

This is a must-read for everyone, in my opinion.

I can recommend The Thinning to those who would like a brief window into a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic-esce Earth in the near future with some deaper themes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but these aren't the themes I currently enjoy reading about, so because of that, it won't stick for me for long.
At least it wouldn't if it weren't for the main character and the author's beautiful writing.
I am a mood reader, so it was a bit hard to get into this dystopian australia, but after getting into it, it swept me away. The only thing is that it feels that I haven't had enough time with the characters.

'The Thinning' is a speculative novel following Fin, a young woman born to parents paving the way in astrophotography and astronomy, as she navigates a world that progressively fails her on a personal and long-term level. Through her connections to her parents, fellow off-grid rebels and an ‘Incomplete’ Terry, Fin explores and develops a niche for herself in a declining society.

My overall impression of ‘The Thinning’ was of a well-paced, reflective and haltingly hopeful take on environmental crises and their wide-reaching effects. It captures the grief that comes with urbanisation, the loss of natural habitats and the creatures dependent on them for survival. The writing weaves in science-fiction elements to explore the complicated interactions between people and the environment, paying particular attention to technology and its interplay with the adaptability of species, including humankind.

I think what unexpectedly caught me the most was this combined outward- and inward-facing look at humanity with the relationship between astronomy, photography and nature that frequently features throughout. It gives the novel this twilight zone feel that works exceptionally to convey this detached horror at the effects of mankind’s actions.

The narrative often gives pause for quieter moments, allowing for the development of Fin’s character and background and adding personal depth to a larger topic. At times some of the characters felt a little flat in comparison. However, having limited knowledge of certain aspects such as the First Nations and the wildlife of Australia, there’s likely some nuances or descriptions lost on me that may have added to some of the characterisations.

Although not all threads are tied and can seem anti-climactic at points, I felt this served to add rather than detract from the experience, acting almost as a reflection on the flaws of media coverage and communication when it comes to tackling longer-term issues.
This is definitely worth reading for those who enjoy books with dystopian or environmental themes with a lyrical and reflective writing style.

Unlike anything I have ever read before, The Thinning is about the people living on the fringes of a dystopian society slipping into extinction, and how they chart their ways in the world. The writing is beautiful - "Light is only darkness diluted"!!!-and it does full justice to the backdrop of the Australian wilderness the story is set in. This was so well paced that I raced through it in a few hours, even as I soaked in every word.

As a whole I did really enjoy reading this book! It captivated me to the point I was picking it up over reading my other books. However, if you asked me what this book was actually about and what happened, I wouldn't be able to really give you much. The way the book was written was beautiful and very descriptive, however. the story plot left me with so many unanswered questions which was increasingly frustrating as I went through the book.
Despite that, as I said, I was hooked! The idea of the story was extremely intriguing - following what I believe is a dystopian type of world based in Australia where humans were evolving. With addition side topics of astronomy and space, and protests against the light pollution.

I did like the characters, however, the way the story was written didn't give you much chance to really form any real attachment to the characters. It again left me feeling frustrated because I wanted to know more but it just wasn't given!

Yet I feel like the book itself is designed to give you short immersive insight into what a world with evolving humans, climate change and societal structures could look like in our future. It made you really think, because it was not so far fetched from our current reality. The topics were also again very real - protests, gender inequalities, social segregation, climate change etc.

I would absolutely read a follow up book if one was ever published - purely in the hope it was give more answers to the world and the story, but also with how beautiful the writing was.

Thank you for approving this book and giving me the opportunity to read it!

The writing in this was absolutely beautiful, but ultimately I found something lacking in the world development and overall plot. I think it suffers from not really know what to do with the characters and this world. Fin and Terry have an interesting dynamic in that Terry is classed as an 'incomplete' with eyesight that has become a reflection (commentary?) of our current obsession with near sighted technologies and our lack of awareness to the damage we've done to the wider world and environment. They've become known as others in the current landscape, shunned by those who are deemed 'complete', like Fin. It's not a suitable take on the climate crisis, but it is well done.

I'm not a massive fan of road trip type stories, which this is, so I can squarely place the blame of not fully loving this on my own shoulders. But I just think it's too short of a novel to really accomplish everything it set out to do, and no amount of beautiful writing is going to fully immerse me into such a world in a little over 200 pages.

Timely and well written story, but I just wanted more from the characters and world.

[I am reviewing an ARC I received through NetGalley]

A really engrossing sci-fi tale, the Thinning is set in our near future - I estimated around ten or twenty years but no exact dates are given - where things are bad but (gratifyingly) never comprehensively explained. What we do know is that society has moved ever further along our path of corporate fascism via technology.

The story is told from the point of view of the teenage daughter (Fin) of two scientists, her father an astrophysicist and her mother an astrophotographer. Fin and her mother have a loving relationship but her mother is an activist who keeps a certain distance between them to protect Fin, much to her annoyance. Their field of astronomy is the main window through which we experience the dystopia as the observatory park in NSW where they work is taken out of their hands for use in running space operations for corporate interests.

Alongside this thread is another biological one: human fertility is failing at a rapid pace and there are also new mutant human strains called 'incompletes' who have eyesight that is intensely myopic, suiting staring hard at screens, but who have also been found to be fertile with 'completes' and so are seen as an object of lab study.

All of this results in Fin and her family and friends, who were all connected to the national park and the observatory, going completely off-grid, living in the Bush and avoiding government and corporate agents.

Into this situation drops Terry, an Incomplete on the run who Fin is tasked with looking after while she takes a long trip to Mount Kaputar, and so the novel takes place over a few days, charting a road trip as these two begin to know each other. A classic setup done well is what we have here, Fin moving slowly from distrust of Terry as they try to sneak past various hazards against the clock.

This kind of sci-fi can be tricky to get right for me, often I am pulled out of the world by either some sense of the author being too Luddite about technology, or thinking 'sci-fi' is a pass to allow anything to happen, as if technology were the same as magic. Inga Simpson manages to avoid over-explaining or preaching, and while we get a lot of sense from Fin's reminiscences and current troubles, enough is left up to us to fill in the blanks, which also helps to keep up the pace of the book.

I think the only real question I'm left with is exactly what 'The Thinning' is. Some oblique references are made that almost make it sound like a passage between worlds - something like Gene Wolfe's There Are Doors, maybe? - but we never get more than these passing references. Is this in fact a novel that touches on magic or a multiverse? Who knows, and in a sense it's all the better for that question that is left hanging.

I'm really glad I was given the opportunity to read this title through NetGalley. I can honestly say this was one of the most original books I read. The topic was really interesting, I just think the writing was above me and I quite often felt confused. There were a few continuity errors that weren't caught during the editing process, that also didnt help with the confusion on my part.