My Only Boy
United Kingdom

My Only Boy

by Rosa Rankin-Gee

Identity & Belonging Contemporary Fiction Fiction 2026

Summary

In a near-future England gripped by political extremism, rising inequality, and oppressive heat, Elle has built her career around anticipating disasters. As communications director for a technology company, she must navigate a society increasingly shaped by authoritarian politics while protecting her own financial security. But her carefully managed life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Ed, a celebrated gay novelist preparing to publish his first book. Although Elle has always been attracted to women, an inexplicable connection develops between them, challenging everything they believe about themselves.

As the political climate deteriorates, their relationship becomes entangled with questions of identity, desire, morality, and complicity. Blending an unconventional love story with dystopian satire and political thriller elements, My Only Boy examines what happens when private lives collide with public crises. It asks whether people can remain faithful to their principles when survival demands compromise—and whether love can transform the identities we thought were fixed.

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Country
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Europe
About the author
Rosa Rankin-Gee
Rosa Rankin-Gee

Rosa Rankin-Gee is a British novelist whose work combines social commentary, dark humour, and explorations of love, identity, and inequality. Raised in Kensal Rise, London, she has lived in several places, including Paris and the Kent coast. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, Vogue, Esquire, and The Paris Review. Her debut novella, The Last Kings of Sark, won Shakespeare and Company’s Paris Literary Prize in 2011. Her second novel, Dreamland (2021), is a dystopian story set in a near-future coastal England transformed by rising sea levels, economic hardship, and social division. The novel received critical attention for its atmospheric portrayal of climate crisis and its impact on young people. Rankin-Gee’s third novel, My Only Boy (2026), continues her exploration of speculative near-future Britain, combining political satire with an unconventional love story. Her fiction examines how people navigate personal desires and moral choices in societies undergoing profound change.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Rosa Rankin-Gee