Deliciously unsettling and chillingly funny, this singular debut novel from prize-winner Chloe Wilson delves into the worlds we would prefer to keep hidden.
‘We didn’t do anything at first. It was just an idea that grew in the dark, like a mushroom. Some pale, round spore of a thought finding form in the darkness. In your mind. And yours.’
‘The best debut novel you’ll read all year’ Emily Bitto
It’s Friday night, date night, and two women are getting ready to head out.
But it isn’t them who Luka – lawyer, thirty-three – is coming to meet.
It’s Poppy, an angelic blonde who has been dead for more than a year.
Behind her profile are two morticians, Gertie and Tabitha.
By day they pump the blood out of bodies, replacing it with formaldehyde, water, alcohol, and raspberry-coloured dye. They sculpt, sew, and paint on shades of Light Natural Tan and Warm Rose Bisque makeup until a face that is almost too perfect looks out of an open casket.
They take their work very seriously, and treat their targets on the dating apps with the same scrupulous care.
But as they swipe their way through Luka, Zeke, Joshua and Angus, their carefully constructed routine begins to fray.
In The Thornbacks, bodies are objects of care and of violence, tools to coerce and control. As the two women work on bodies laid on the slab, and perched at the bar, we are left to ask-to what extent can we really shape our own lives? What does justice look like in a world of flesh, deception and desire? And how can humanity’s bycatch-its most overlooked, undervalued specimens-find a means to rebel?
Told with a blistering wit, The Thornbacks is an exhilarating, acutely observed story of appearances and their subversion.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Imprint: Penguin Books AU
Publication date: 05/05/2026
The Thornbacks
by Chloe Wilson
Review by Bel
Strange fiction often requires too strong a stomach for me, but in The Thornbacks, Chloe Wilson delivers a compulsively readable, darkly entertaining novel, with just a touch of the macabre. It's a subversive, clever treatment of the age-old story of women being overlooked, taken for granted, and taken advantage of at various ages and stages.
Elusive morticians Gertie and Tabitha are my new favourite spinsters. Through their droll, deadpan banter, we get a tantalising back-room tour of the funeral business, and their far more sinister hobby. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how compelled I was by the detail. Their meticulous care of the dead is offset by their fabulously callous mother - but even her tough exterior isn't enough to protect her.
This novel glides on Wilson's playful prose, perfectly chosen details, and quirky characters. I still had questions at the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It's a unique, intriguing delight, and Wilson is a talent to watch. She's also published a short story collection, Hold Your Fire, and two poetry collections. Seek them out post haste!
