The Thornbacks

What inspired Chloe Wilson to write about morticians as central characters?

Whilst the existing content doesn't detail Wilson's specific inspiration, her background as an award-winning poet and short story writer suggests a fascination with liminal spaces and unconventional perspectives. The choice of morticians as protagonists allows Wilson to explore themes of control, appearance versus reality, and society's overlooked workers from a genuinely unique vantage point. Her previous poetry collection titles like The Mermaid Problem and Not Fox Nor Axe indicate a long-standing interest in examining the boundaries between the human and non-human, the living and the dead.

How does Wilson's poetry background influence the prose style of The Thornbacks?

Wilson's accomplished poetry career, including two published collections and recognition in Best Australian Poems, brings a distinctive precision and intensity to her debut novel's language. Readers familiar with literary fiction that prioritises carefully crafted sentences and evocative imagery will find The Thornbacks rewards close attention to its prose. Her poetic sensibility likely contributes to the novel's ability to balance the darkly comic with the unsettling, creating what reviewers describe as a blistering wit alongside acute observation.

What does the title The Thornbacks refer to?

The title is a deliberate reclamation of a historical slur used to describe unmarried women, particularly those considered past marriageable age. The term originally referred to a species of ray fish, but became a derogatory label for spinsters in centuries past. By choosing this as her title, Wilson signals the novel's engagement with how society views and values women, particularly those who exist outside conventional romantic or social structures. The metaphor connects to the novel's broader themes of overlooked and undervalued people finding ways to assert agency and rebel.

Is this novel suitable for readers who typically avoid horror or dark fiction?

Despite its mortuary setting and macabre elements, The Thornbacks is primarily a literary novel exploring themes of identity, power and social commentary rather than a horror story designed to frighten. The unsettling aspects serve the novel's satirical examination of dating culture, appearance and societal expectations. Readers who appreciate darkly comic literary fiction writers or sharp social observation will likely find the novel's wit and intelligence outweigh any discomfort from its setting, though those particularly squeamish about death or embalming processes may wish to approach with awareness of the protagonists' profession.

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