Josh Silver (author)

Josh Silver
Silver in 2026
EducationRADA (2012) King's College London (2022)
OccupationsAuthor, actor, nurse
Writing career
GenresLiterary fiction, Contemporary, Queer, Psychological Thriller, Satire, YA Fiction, Dystopia
SubjectsMental health, LGBTQI+, addiction

Josh Silver (born 15 September 1989) is a British author and former actor and mental health nurse. He is best known for his debut adult novel, Fruit Fly (2026), a literary satire and psychological thriller exploring authorship, appropriation, addiction and identity. The novel was named a must-read book of 2026 by the BBC and became a New York Times, Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller.Its television rights were acquired by A24, with Silver attached as an executive producer.

Silver began his writing career in young adult fiction. HappyHead (2023), was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing. His third young adult novel, Traumaland (2025), won the 2026 YA Book Prize and was published in the United States under the title Erase Me.

Biography

Silver grew up on a farm in the Lake District and moved to Manchester when he was a teenager. He attended RADA at the age of 18. After appearing on Broadway (the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptation of the Hilary Mantel books Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies), and in the West End (notably alongside Nicole Kidman in Photograph 51), he later retrained as a mental health nurse and began writing at the same time. He is an identical twin.

Bibliography

Awards and accolades

TitleYearAwardResult
TraumaLand / Erase Me 2026YA Book PrizeWinner
2025A Waterstones YA Book of the YearNamed
2026Carnegie Medal for WritingNominated
2025The Observer Best YA books of 2025Named
HappyHead 2024YA Book PrizeShortlisted
2024Carnegie Medal for WritingNominated
2023Amazon YA Book of the YearNamed
2025Massachusetts Teen Choice AwardShortlisted
2023Irish Independent on Sunday Book of the YearNamed

References

  1. ↑ "Josh Silver's 'Fruit Fly' is a Send-Up of the Publishing 'Machine'".
  2. ↑ Staples, Louis. "Josh Silver's 'Fruit Fly' Is a Send-Up of the Publishing 'Machine'". Publishers Weekly.
  3. ↑ "Fruit Fly by Josh Silver | Waterstones". waterstones.com.
  4. ↑ "Fruit Fly by Josh Silver: 9798892426367 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books".
  5. ↑ "Fruit Fly".
  6. ↑ "12 books you need to read in 2026". BBC. 2025-12-25. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  7. ↑ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  8. ↑ "The secret to Josh Silver's bestselling book 'Fruit Fly'? Go gay. Go sad. Go dark". Los Angeles Times. 2026-09-15. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  9. ↑ "'Fruit Fly': A24 Options Josh Silver Novel For TV". Deadline. 29 July 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Josh Silver".
  11. ↑ "Josh Silver's 'adrenaline-inducing' thriller Traumaland wins the YA Book Prize 2026". The Bookseller. 27 August 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Erase Me by Josh Silver: 9798217029631 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books".
  13. ↑ HappyHead: The Most Anticipated YA Debut of... by Silver, Josh. ASIN 0861545532.
  14. ↑ Collins, Stephen (July 31, 2014). "REVIEW: Wolf Hall / Bring Up The Bodies, Aldwych Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭". British Theatre. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Silver completes Nicole Kidman cast". Official London Theatre. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  16. ↑ Rodriguez, Mathew. "Fruit Fly author Josh Silver on queer stories and unlikable characters | Out.com". out.com.
  17. ↑ "Josh Silver's 'adrenaline-inducing' thriller Traumaland wins the YA Book Prize 2026". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2026-11-10.
  18. ↑ "YA Book Prize | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 2026-11-10.
  19. ↑ "The Carnegies". Retrieved 2026-11-10.
  20. ↑ Observer, The (2025-11-27). "The best children's books of 2025". The Observer. Retrieved 2026-11-10.