The Marriage Act
Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction, Crime & Thrillers
Hardback Published on: 19/01/2023
£16.99
Bookseller Reviews
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Fantastic!
This book is amazing! The whole concept is fascinating and scarily realistic given the intrusion of technology into our everyday lives. It’s written very w... READ MORE
Terrifying!
Another dark and ominous look at the future, this author has perfected “Black Mirror” scenarios. This time we’re following on from The One and exploring th... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Goodreads Awards 2023.
From John Marrs, the bestselling author of The One. Set in the same world, The Marriage Act is a dark, high-concept thriller.
‘One of the most exciting original thriller writers’ - Simon Kernick, author of Good Cop Bad Cop
What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?
Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills – the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.
But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives, tracking every word, every minor disagreement . . . and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honour and obey.
Black Mirror meets thriller with a dash of Naomi Alderman’s The Power.
Praise for John Marrs:
'A page-turning and thought-provoking read' - Daily Mirror
'A socially aware novel packed with thought-provoking questions' - SFX Magazine
'Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never let’s go . . . talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts! – C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man
'A smart, gripping and scarily believable story from the master of the speculative thriller'— T.M. Logan, author of The Catch
'John’s creative, high-concept thrillers never fail to keep me furiously turning the pages and The Marriage Act is no exception . . . dark, immersive speculative fiction at its very best!' – Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat
'A scarily plausible alternative future with a truly twisted narrative. Tensely plotted and terrifyingly imagined! - Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- ISBN: 9781035001255
- Number of pages: 496
- Weight: 734g
- Dimensions: 241 x 163 x 46 mm
Customer Reviews
View allJohn Marrs on top form
John Marrs on absolute top form again in the world of the near future. Building on the “one” DNA match, “passengers” in driverless cars and “keepers” of th... READ MORE
Brilliant book!!
Oh my...I loved every thought that must have gone into this book. Thanks to the "other John" who started this idea and gave John Marrs the brilliance he ha... READ MORE
Intriguing read with a twist!
This book is set in the same vein as The One and The Passengers by the same author, based in the future and controlled by the government, people are fashio... READ MORE
Marrs does it again!
The Marriage Act follows a huge cast of diverse characters at various points throughout their ‘Smart Marriages’. Set in the UK’s future ‘Smart Marriage’ is... READ MORE
Intriguing thriller
The Marriage Act is another intriguing thriller set in the near future. The unopposed right wing government has introduced the Sanctity of Marriage Act. E... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant dystopian thriller
Another excellent albeit dark and disturbing book by John Marrs. I have read several of his previous books and despite their often grim or terrifying natur... READ MORE
I wouldn't sign up for a SMART Marriage!!
I love John Marrs and think it's fab that his books are all based around the same world. I haven't read all of his so some elements go over my head, but t... READ MORE
A shudder-inducing future!
John Marrs has an amazing imagination, plotting his stories just close enough to our lives to be plausible, adding the latest technology (which we know can... READ MORE
"5 minutes into the future"
Another absolutely amazing book from the GENIUS that is John Marrs. Devoured this in less than 24 hours and I have no regrets. It has more twists than a cu... READ MORE
Very thought provoking - a world under AI
This was a very unnerving book and you can relate to so many scenarios that came up in it.
Some great characters that all have differnt involvemnt with the... READ MORE
Thought-Provoking Thriller
This book was so thought-provoking, interesting, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic for how things could possibly pan out in the not too distant future. ... READ MORE
Excellent imaginative tale
Set sometime in the future, around the time his previous book ‘The Passengers’ was set Is John Marrs latest offering ‘The Marriage Act’ where a right-wing ... READ MORE
Another great read
I have really enjoyed this dystopian plot
Having different stories unfolding added to the enjoyment and trepidation of this book
The writing, as always, fr... READ MORE
I really enjoyed this story, scary possibilities!!
SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
I’ve been struggling to read at all lately but when I have managed, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
In the not too distant... READ MORE
A dark, twisty thriller
Wow! John Marrs does it again. If you've read 'The One' and 'The Passengers' (if not, why not?) and enjoyed them, you will love this.
Through the voices o... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant
The sanctity of marriage means that it is spiritual and sacred. It should be permanent and reserved exclusively for couples that truly love each other.
T... READ MORE
Wow, wow, wow
What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?
Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills – the Sancti... READ MORE
Fascinating and I'm still shuddering to think this might happen
I'm a newcomer to John Marrs but have watched "The One" on Netflix. "The Marriage Act" was an interesting and clever premise - Upgrade to a DNA-matched Sm... READ MORE
A real treat
I have loved all of John Marrs' books, and this one is up with the best of them.
Set in the time of The One and The Passengers this book is a complete s... READ MORE
Fabulous read!
There’s nothing more satisfying than curling up with a John Marrs book, so I was thrilled to be able to get my hands on this one.
What I loved about this b... READ MORE
Recommended
Set in a time not too far away, this is a dark and rather creepy tale that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Would you 'upgrade' your marriage if it meant getting pre... READ MORE
Tense and Twisty
The Marriage Act by John Marrs
I give this book 5 stars
A tense,twisty phenomenal read!
I love it when a books concept scares me the way this did! A cle... READ MORE
A cautionary tale
I really enjoy Black Mirror style dystopian thriller stories, and as I’m getting married in 2023, this book certainly caught my eye!
The premise is a stro... READ MORE
A tense dark, speculative thriller
The latest speculative thriller from the John Marrs stable, takes the reader on an eerily believable journey into the future.
The story covers several ... READ MORE
Thought provoking dystopian
This is a great dystopian warning from John Marrs.
What happens when the government decides that marriage is a “Good Thing”, and people should be
penalise... READ MORE
Thought provoking dystopian
This is a great dystopian warning from John Marrs.
What happens when the government decides that marriage is a “Good Thing”, and people should be
penalise... READ MORE
So creative!!
4-5 stars
From the fertile imagination of John Marrs who gave us The One and The Passengers, both of which are referenced here, he now offers us a vision... READ MORE
A full five stars from me!
The Marriage Act by John Marrs is set in a similar time to two of his’ previous books, but what makes this one so unique and so terrifying is a right-wing ... READ MORE
A Triumph!
With its subtle suspense that holds you in its enthrall from the beginning to end, The Marriage Act was a fantastic read. The plotting is incredibly good a... READ MORE
An enjoyable speculative thriller
4.25
This authors is very imaginative and has unique storylines. I especially love his speculative novels.
A speculative near future thriller where coup... READ MORE
The Marriage Act
As a reader I have an interesting relationship with this author. I find some of his books to be out of this world brilliant and others to be, well, decent ... READ MORE
You can’t help thinking, what if?
I love this author’s writing & The Marriage Act is a return to an Orwellian landscape of the future.
The Marriage Act encourages Smart Marriage, which i... READ MORE
Amazingly, scarily believable speculative fiction!
The cover is quite simplistic yet still manages to be striking. After reading both The One and The Passengers and loving them both, as soon as I heard abou... READ MORE
Scarily realistic!
This is hands down the scariest book I’ve ever read - and it’s not even a horror book!
The reason it’s so scary is because this dystopia feels not only be... READ MORE
Love this author!
I've read a few John Marrs books now and his concepts always blow my mind! This man has such an incredible imagination and I always love his books!
The mar... READ MORE
The Marriage Act by John Marrs
The Marriage Act by John Marrs is a frightening glimpse into another world, when the Marriage Act becomes a reality and devices are listening to and sugges... READ MORE