"Which makes me question people's motives for including us in their stories: to shine a light on things important to them? Or to capitalise on this moment?"He recognises that a gay, nine-years sober addict writing a book from the point of view of a straight woman who is writing a book from the point of view of a gay addict is "very meta".In this "authentic voice" era, he says, if a book hinges on a certain community's trauma, writers should at least speak to a "broad scope" of those who've experienced it.His protagonist, Mallory, takes this to such extreme lengths, she initially seems unhinged in her creative pursuit.But as her character development reveals something much deeper going on, readers will find their allegiances sway.One critique of stories like Heated Rivalry is they present a sanitised version of homosexuality that, due to its commercial "spiciness", feels real to outsiders."I understand it appeals to women because gay male sex feels safer and less threatening to them," Silver says.He's talking about something specific in the gay community, which features in the book: chemsex, or parties at which gay men take drugs and have sex.Days before our interview, the UK's Observer newspaper published a story about Silver's pre-sober experience of this taboo world."[It was] an intense read for my mum and friends," Silver says I ask if his gay brother has read Fruit Fly."Umm, not yet!" Silver says.Fruit Fly is published by Oneworld.