{"product_id":"9781761357244","title":"The Thornbacks","description":"Author: Wilson, Chloe\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781761357244\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Penguin Australia Pty Ltd\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 05 May 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 240\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDeliciously unsettling and chillingly funny, this singular debut novel from prize-winner Chloe Wilson delves into the worlds we would prefer to keep hidden.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e'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.'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The best debut novel you'll read all year' Emily Bitto\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eIt's Friday night, date night, and two women are getting ready to head out.\u003cbr\u003e But it isn't them who Luka - lawyer, thirty-three - is coming to meet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's Poppy, an angelic blonde who has been dead for more than a year.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBehind her profile are two morticians, Gertie and Tabitha.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy 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 \u003ci\u003eLight Natural Tan\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWarm Rose Bisque\u003c\/i\u003e makeup until a face that is almost too perfect looks out of an open casket.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey take their work very seriously, and treat their targets on the dating apps with the same scrupulous care.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut as they swipe their way through Luka, Zeke, Joshua and Angus, their carefully constructed routine begins to fray.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Thornbacks\u003c\/i\u003e, 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?\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eTold with a blistering wit, \u003ci\u003eThe Thornbacks\u003c\/i\u003e is an exhilarating, acutely observed story of appearances and their subversion.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for The Thornbacks\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e'As sharp and crafty as the creatures it's named after, \u003ci\u003eThe Thornbacks\u003c\/i\u003e may be the best debut novel you'll read all year. Chloe Wilson is a writer of exquisite skill. A thrilling read.'\u003c\/b\u003e Emily Bitto\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Boldly, brilliantly macabre and darkly funny, \u003ci\u003eThe Thornbacks\u003c\/i\u003e perfectly skewers how strange and topsy-turvy things can be in the online shadowlands where appearances are everything. Wilson is at the vanguard.'\u003c\/b\u003e Ceridwen Dovey","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46882750955678,"sku":"UBD-9781761357244","price":34.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781761357244.jpg?v=1779862514","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781761357244","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}