In certain literary circles, the title on everyone’s lips this summer was Josh Silver’s debut, Fruit Fly. The novel is a dark and witty narrative that entwines the story of a novelist who’s lost her inspiration and is looking for her next bestseller, and a homeless young gay man struggling with addiction, who just might be the key to unlocking the perfect zeitgeist-y subject matter for her. Funnily enough, Silver’s book about literary success has made him one, Fruit Fly is a runaway bestseller and has already been optioned by powerhouse indie film and television producer A24. There are fascinating parallels between Silver’s success and his characters’s search for outward recognition and praise from the reading public—making this one an a fascinating case study on retroactive metafiction.
The book begins with Mallory, eight years after her YA bestseller delighted critics and fans alike, she’s lost her spark and her ability to write as she’s settled into a quiet and posh life in an artfully designed home with her Netflix exec husband, Ronan. Her life would seem perfect to any outsider: but behind closed doors Mallory is purposeless, with a deeply controlling husband who surveils and controls her, claiming to be concerned about her mental health, while she’s still struggling with the tragic suicide of her brother. She’s looking for a bit of inspiration when she stumbles upon Leo, a homeless young man involved in the world of chemsex parties, strung out on drugs and engaging in prostitution to get more money to use. Leo is living day to day, always looking for his next fix and generally feeling consumed by dread and anxiety when he’s not high. He’s surrounded by sexual violence and the darker elements, in other words living the complete opposite of Mallory’s domestic and sheltered existence.
Mallory has taken to searching online for answers on how to get back to her writing—and when she stumbles upon a Reddit post claiming the secret to a modern bestseller is simply to “Go gay. Go sad. Go dark.”—she knows she needs to get closer to Leo. She begins to write about his life, relying on both what he tells her and her imagination to trace the details. The book then explores the ways in which these characters diverge and connect in terms of identity, desires, and passions. Mallory’s desperation for success makes her greedy, she follows Leo around and mines his experiences for her novel—crossing more and more boundaries as the novel progresses. But Leo is not an easy person to take advantage of, he’s wise to Mallory’s deception and quickly works to understand how he can make the situation work in his favor.
The novel features well drawn and fascinating characters, and asks crucial questions about identity and authorship. Who’s stories deserve to be told and by whom—what kind of books are readers connecting with and what’s commercially viable are all questions on Silver’s mind. He explained in a conversation printed in Interview Magazine, “I’m trying to ask in today’s day and age if the queer experience holds value and if it has currency. The publishing world is very loud about wanting to champion authentic voices, but what does authentic mean and how are you defining it, and in what way are you then presenting authenticity?”
The novel is in equal measures a propulsive thriller that sees its two main characters unravelling in twin strands, but also a sharp exploration of identity and ownership. A promising debut from a really gifted writer, Fruit Fly balances strong narrative and thoughtful thematic elements, and while its not a thin novel, readers will find that it truly flies by in a sitting or two.