Fruit Fly

'AN INCREDIBLE BOOK.' RUSSELL T DAVIES

'A SEETHING, HILARIOUS, AND WILDLY SHREWD TAKEDOWN.' CARO CLAIRE BURKE

'A REAL NAILBITER.' BBC MUST-READ BOOK

'SAVAGE AND DARKLY HILARIOUS.' JUNO DAWSON

'JUICY, DARK, FUNNY AND HEART WRENCHING.' VOGUE

'LIKE THE OFFSPRING OF TRAINSPOTTING AND YELLOWFACE ... CLEVER AND ASSURED.' DAILY MAIL

Anyone can write a bestseller. Here’s how…

GO GAY

It’s been seven years since Mallory shot to fame as a literary sensation. But after years of struggling with writer’s block, she’s desperate to resurrect her career before it spirals into obscurity. She needs inspiration to strike – and fast.

GO SAD

Enter Leo – a young struggling addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable. He’s enigmatic. He’s exactly what Mallory has been looking for.

GO DARK

Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. Authenticity sells, and there’s nothing more authentic than real life. She’s the perfect person to tell Leo’s story. Gay, sad, dark – just what the world needs right now. But as secrets threaten to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide: just how far will she go to pen the perfect story?

A darkly funny literary satire that examines privilege, queer identity, and our modern obsession with authenticity, perfect for fans of Detransition, Baby, Evenings and Weekends and Eliza Clark.

'ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ.' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY BLEW ME AWAY.' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I DIDN’T BREATHE FOR PAGES AT A TIME.' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'HORRIBLE IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY.' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING.' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Josh Silver grew up on a farm in the Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He trained as an actor at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and went onto perform in the West End and on Broadway, before changing career to become a mental health nurse. He has written three novels for young adults, the latest of which, TraumaLand, was the winner of the YA Book Prize 2026. His debut adult novel, Fruit Fly, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. Josh is now a full-time writer who lives in Manchester.