Fruit Fly

Hardback Published on: 23/04/2026
Price: £16.99
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In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
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Bookseller Reviews

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Fruit Fly
Sharp, unsettling and completely addictive…
I absolutely loved Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. It’s bold, uncomfortable in places, and completely gripping from start to finish. What really stood out to me ... READ MORE
Kirsty, Waterstones Coventry
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
My favourite read of the year so far!
Shocking, biting, funny and addictively readable, Fruit Fly is the queer, fictional critique of A Little Life I’ve always been waiting for; my favourite re... READ MORE
Eoin Mulligan
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
An Explosive Literary Take on Stolen Identity Through Fiction
Thank you to the publisher for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Fruit Fly follows Mallory; a once bestselling author who is no... READ MORE
S
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
Best book I’ll read all year
Punchy and propulsive, told with real grit and authenticity. I couldn’t put this book down, it reads like a thriller and tackles some really interesting th... READ MORE
Sam Cains
Fruit Fly
Dark & addictive literary thriller. Brilliant!
One of my most anticipated reads of the year and Josh Silver absolutely delivered. Fruit Fly is a wild journey down the rabbit hole of desperation, addicti... READ MORE
Michelle, Chesterfield
Fruit Fly
Absolutely fantastic
I absolutely adored reading this book. Mallory is a writer. 10 years ago, she had a hit. She has the writing talent, clearly, but she’s missing the key to ... READ MORE
Rosie
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.

Synopsis

'AN INCREDIBLE BOOK.' RUSSELL T DAVIES

'A REAL NAILBITER.' BBC MUST-READ BOOK 2026

'SAVAGE AND DARKLY HILARIOUS.' JUNO DAWSON

'A RAW, VISCERAL TRIUMPH.' JOHN MARRS

'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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications
  • ISBN: 9781836431473
  • Number of pages: 416
  • Dimensions: 216 x 135 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Fruit Fly
A sharp, darkly funny novel
Fruit Fly is a sharp, darkly funny novel that takes aim at the modern publishing world and the messy realities of ambition. Josh Silver combines biting hum... READ MORE
Nemra
Fruit Fly
Captivatingly complex…
Great book. So different from what I expected from him in the beginning but as the story took a darker turn it seemed more familiar. As always his characte... READ MORE
Helsbelstels
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
Adult Debut from Josh Silver
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. This was on the BBC list I believe of what to read in 2026. I was quite interested to see wha... READ MORE
Fiona Sharp
Fruit Fly
Fantastic
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you loved Yellowface but felt it needed more Grindr and more trauma, then this is the book for you. A scathing s... READ MORE
Jenna Tomlinson
Fruit Fly
Fruit Fly
This is my first book by this author, who is publishing his debut adult book, but, on the back of what I read herein, I have added all his other books to m... READ MORE
Ashrae
Fruit Fly
Intense and compulsive.
‘Fruit Fly’ by Josh Silver is a story of a blocked author exploiting a young man's trauma that makes for an intense and compulsive read. From the descripti... READ MORE
BB
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Josh Silver, but I can already tell it will not be the last...
Where to start with how glorious a read this book is? Fruit Fly is one of those novels that draws you in by looking like one thing, a sharp satire promisin... READ MORE
FromPenandPage
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
ESSENTIAL READING
FRUIT FLY – JOSH SILVER ***** Perhaps because he has previously written YA novels I had not heard of Josh Silver – until now. Fruit Fly is a BBC must read... READ MORE
Charles Coussens
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
So good
Breezed through this in two days. Interesting concept, well written and fleshed out characters. Without going into details, one particular relationship fel... READ MORE
Emma Lillelund
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
Possibly my best book of 2026??
Fruit Fly is the first book I’ve read by Josh and I don’t know why it’s took me this long to pick him up because WOW that man can write!I was starting to ... READ MORE
Chloe Kennedy
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
Five stars!
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver follows Mallory, a once successful writer battling creative block, who becomes entangled with Leo, a vulnerable young man whose li... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review
Fruit Fly
Perfectly toxic, obsessive, and fascinating.
Absolutely thrilled to receive on NetGalley to preview. Well, If I thought Traumaland was a wild ride, I was sadly mistaken. Josh Silver has returned wi... READ MORE
Bekki 1 moores
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
Dark, uncomfortable and at times frustrating — but completely compelling.
Fruit Fly is one of those books that really stays with you after you finish it. It’s a dark and uncomfortable read at times, but also incredibly sharp and ... READ MORE
JJ Sharp
Verified Purchase
Fruit Fly
Yellowface for the LGBTQ+
Mallory has writers block after her first successful novel. Reddit tells her the current trend is gay and sad, so she downloads Grindr in order to do some ... READ MORE
Daren Kearl
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Fruit Fly
fantastic
Read it in 3 days, loved it
Harry Barnes
Fruit Fly
this book is an EXPERIENCE that demands to be felt
It’s not often that a book can render me speechless. This is exactly what ‘Fruit Fly’ has done to me. Rendered me speechless in the best possible way. Almo... READ MORE
nick_picksbooks
Fruit Fly
You don't shelve this book, you keep it in a lock box!
This book isn’t slightly off. It is full-blown, lid-bulging, hiss-when-you-open-it rot, and I LOVED IT. It’s giving Trainspotting x Yellowface but sweat... READ MORE
WhatZoReads
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.