Mallory Maddox is an author who, following her wildly successful debut novel, has been stuck in writer’s no-man’s land for years. Her peers used to rave about her talent; now they call her ‘Meek Mal’ owing to her inability to follow through and her stay in a psychiatric unit. She feels trapped in her huge house and counterfeit relationships – until she meets Leo, a homeless gay man who exchanges the use of his body to fuel his addictions. After following Leo around, Mallory offers him free therapy; the catch is that, unknowingly to him, she’s writing his life story. ‘Fruit Fly’ darkly and brilliantly grapples with how far a writer will go for a story and the cost of ‘authenticity’ in today’s world. Josh Silver is both witty and gritty in his exploration of privilege, addiction and queer identity, and the book leaves you thinking about its characters long after it’s finished. IM

Published by Oneworld