Moderation - LISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026

Sometimes people just...click.

''Wonderful''
Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time

''A literary firecracker''
Pandora Sykes, Books and Bits

''Brilliant''
Elle

Thirty-something Girlie Delmundo works a day job as a content moderator, removing the very worst that makes it on to the internet. She''s one of the best at it, too, so it''s no surprise when she''s given a big salary rise to start moderating its new venture: virtual-reality theme parks, lush simulations of civilizations long since dead.

But as she begins to explore the intricate worlds that she moderates, Girlie notices two deeply troubling things: that there might be something much darker built into the very code of the company, and that William, technically her new boss, a man whose barriers are as mighty as her own, might just be that long-forgotten thing... Girlie''s type.