The Thorns
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The Thorns
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Narrated by:
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Imogen Church
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By:
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Dawn Kurtagich
About this listen
In this hauntingly twisted tale, an author reconnects with an old boarding school friend, forcing her to reckon with their shared past and the imaginary creature she thought they left behind.
Touch a line, you break your spine.
Stacey is the dusty air, the cracked soil, the drought. To thirteen-year-old Bethany Sloane, she’s everything.
Abandoned by her mother at a remote African boarding school, Bethany will do anything to stay in Stacey’s good graces. And that means learning the rules of each twisted game.
Touch a crack, you break your back.
Years later, Bethany is a bestselling author. Disabled now, she can’t remember what happened back in the bush. But there’s no mistaking Stacey Preston’s name in her inbox.
Glassy, glassy, cut my arsey.
That email brings Bethany’s childhood rushing back. The Glass Man was just a story the Thorns invented, a game of wits. But every game has its rules—and consequences for breaking them. To stay alive this round, Bethany needs to play right into Stacey’s hands.
Dark and disturbing, The Thorns explores the horrifying world of adolescent abuse, controlling friendships, and blinding obsession.
©2025 by Dawn Kurtagich. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
“Take Mean Girls, stir in a substantial serving of reality, add a dash of parental neglect, and drag it out to bake in the unrelenting South African sun, and you get The Thorns. So many of us have had Staceys in our lives, and this is the most honest account of abusive friendships I’ve ever read: it made me feel seen. Kurtagich has created a brutal, visceral, and unflinching masterpiece that will haunt you long after you put it down.”—Ann Dávila Cardinal, author of The Storyteller’s Death
“Kurtagich blends together the world of adolescent friendships and all-consuming obsession in this dazzling triumph of a novel that burrows into your flesh like briars. The Thorns oozes with an atmosphere that emerges bloody from the page and leaves you gasping for more.”—Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones
“Dawn Kurtagich’s writing is as sharp as it gets, pulling readers into a world thick with atmosphere and emotion. Her ability to weave psychological tension with vivid, immersive prose makes her storytelling utterly unforgettable. Kurtagich knows what she’s doing, and she’s not afraid to rip out your heart in the process.”—Shea Ernshaw, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen