Dr. Monica Cucinotta works on the front lines of a hospital in Cassino, Italy, dealing with a deadly contagion that causes thorns to erupt along the surface of the body. When Monica becomes infected with the virus and must leave the hospital, she begins a journey across the dark landscape of a pandemic world where she meets the best and worst of humanity that tests her belief in science and faith as she struggles to return home to her loved ones.
Dark bleatings, my thorny tribe! Today’s book review is of a novel with one of the more unique apocalyptic scenarios I’ve ever read. It’s also one of the more disturbing.
Monica is a doctor working through a new pandemic. It’s an extremely contagious infection that causes thorns to erupt through the skin, but the real problem is what happens inside the body when these symptoms present themselves. No prevention, no cure, and no real treatment. Anyone afflicted is considered terminal and all that can be done as the infection roots and becomes more painful and deadly is to sedate them until they pass. Monica, unfortunately, is infected and has been hiding it at work so that she can continue to help people, but also because she can’t go home to her husband and child. When her boss finds out, they have to let her go, and she spends the remainder of the book trying to get home in a lawless world that’s now fallen apart so that she can see her family one last time.
What’s fascinating about this story is not just the infection itself, which I really liked because it was such a change from zombies, viral flu-like infections, and the usual suspects that cause an apocalypse, but because of how the characters of this world handle it and the issues that arise out of those choices.
There are those who are infected that decide they’ll submit to their more animalistic, base instincts, becoming significant threats. There are those in towns that have so far escaped the contagion and have walled themselves off. There are those that react to infected people like they’re evil and deserve violence and death quickly, lest they infect someone else. The infected are largely shunned and feared, and the feeling of isolation for Monica is immense and well translated to the reader.
This is a world in which many people are too afraid to be kind or helpful, which is devastating but also understandable.
In terms of subtext my personal reading is that this is a story about how the ill and disabled are already considered (or not considered) in many societies, particularly by the institutions that are supposed to be in place to help and protect them. Not only that, but the influence the institutions and the media have over regular people in their attitudes towards people who are less fortunate in this regard. In the UK, for example, certain politicians and mainstream media are constantly demonising disabled people who need financial assistance, painting them as liars, lazy, and undeserving of assistance, and unfortunately, they’re often successful in convincing sections of the public that this is true. In reality, there is actually so little fraud in these case, and people whose lives are already more difficult are being shamed for circumstances out of their control. Additionally, injury and/or illness of a debilitating nature can happen to anyone, which is what I think this story exemplifies.
I do have a few criticisms, so this wasn’t a perfect read for me. I think that generally the writing is good and engaging, but there are times where points are repeated quite a bit (the reason Monica wanted to stay in the hospital, for example, comes up over and over). I also found that, for me, it dragged a bit in the middle section and could have maybe done with the pacing being a little quicker. However, these minor gripes weren’t enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story or deter me from reading it.
If you’re a fan of apocalyptic fiction, I think this novel is well worth your time. I haven’t even covered the religious aspect of this book (I thought it might be better to let you read that for yourself).
Thorns is due for release on July 29th. If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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