Radio Silence

Story

Frances is focused entirely on her education. All she wants is to go to a top university. But when she meets Aled, the creator of her favourite podcast, she learns that there are other ways to go through life.

Why we chose it

Alice Oseman writes young adult novels that authentically portray the lives of 21^st century teenagers. Radio Silence explores identity and friendship, the pressure to succeed and the courage it can take to work out who you really are.

Where it came from

Alice Oseman was born in Kent in 1994. She got her first publishing deal at 17 and her first novel, Solitaire, was published when she was 19. The characters from Solitaire make a cameo appearance in Radio Silence, and a number of her stories cross over in this way. For Radio Silence Oseman drew heavily on her own experiences of education and the pressures and expectations that she felt went with it.

Where it went next

Radio Silence won the Inky award in 2017. Her books have been praised for their diversity and inclusion of different gender identities, ethnicities, and sexualities, and because characters and relationships, not just romance, are usually at the centre of them. It has been translated into ten other languages, including French, Polish, and Hebrew.

Associated stories

Alice Oseman has published novels, ebooks and a series of graphic novels. The Heartstopper graphic novels have been optioned for television. Her other novels are Soltaire, I Was Born For This and Loveless plus two novellas, Nick and Charlie, a spin-off from Solitaire and This Winter, a spin off from Heartstopper.