3.5 ⭐️s | The Thinning is one of those books that feels uncomfortably possible. Inga Simpson creates a haunting climate-focused dystopia filled with ecological collapse, disappearing species, darkening futures, and people desperately trying to hold onto hope anyway. At its core, though, this is really a story about connection to nature, to humanity, and to the fragile things we risk losing when survival becomes more important than living.

I was immediately drawn into this world. The off-grid communities, the constant need to stay hidden, the devastating environmental decline, and the beauty of the landscape all felt vivid and immersive. Simpson’s writing is easily the strongest part of the book. Her descriptions of the bushland, the night skies, and the fading natural world are genuinely stunning, and there’s a lot of melancholy running through the entire book, and it really worked for me.

I also loved the astronomy woven throughout the story. The observatories, eclipses, astrophotography, and discussions about dark skies gave the story such a unique atmosphere. It added this almost cosmic sense of grief and wonder that made the environmental themes hit even harder.

That said, this book’s scope is HUGE… maybe a little too huge at times. It tackles climate collapse, extinction, corporate greed, reproductive control, genetic evolution, Indigenous knowledge, astronomy, survivalism, pandemics, identity, and what it means to be human… all in under 300 pages. While I admired the ambition, some elements felt underdeveloped because there simply wasn’t enough space for everything to fully breathe. The “Incomplete” storyline especially felt more like an interesting concept than something the novel explored in real depth.

The pacing also leaned slower and more reflective than I expected. There are moments of tension and urgency, but much of the story feels like a contemplative road trip through a damaged world rather than a high-stakes survival narrative. Whether that works will probably depend on the reader. Still, I really appreciated what this book was trying to do. It’s thoughtful, atmospheric, and emotionally grounded, with an underlying message about environmental destruction that never feels preachy despite how urgent it is. Even in its bleakest moments, there’s still a thread of hope running through the story.

The Thinning may not have fully balanced all of its massive ideas, but it’s beautifully written, deeply relevant, and memorable in a quiet, lingering kind of way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Akashic Books for the eARC!