The Thorns

<p><b>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.</b></p><p><i>Touch a line, you break your spine.</i></p><p>Stacey is the dusty air, the cracked soil, the drought. To thirteen-year-old Bethany Sloane, she’s everything.</p><p>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.</p><p><i>Touch a crack, you break your back.</i></p><p>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.</p><p><i>Glassy, glassy, cut my arsey.</i></p><p>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.</p><p>Dark and disturbing, <i>The Thorns</i> explores the horrifying world of adolescent abuse, controlling friendships, and blinding obsession.</p>