The Marriage Act

A Novel

by John Marrs

On Sale: 05/02/2023

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The Marriage Act

A Novel

by John Marrs

On Sale: 05/02/2023

Format:

Amazon Indigo

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Author Info

About the Book

What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey? Black Mirror meets thriller with a dash of Naomi Alderman’s The Power in this dark, high-concept novel by the bestselling author of The One.

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—monitoring every word, every minor disagreement…and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey.

“The king of near-future what-ifs is back with a smart and chilling page-turner. Twisty, unsettling, scarily believable and thought provoking, this is his best yet.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

“Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never lets go. THE MARRIAGE ACT is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts!” —C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

Don't miss other suspenseful reads from John Marrs (you'll never see the twists coming!):

The One
The Vacation
The Family Experiment (coming soon!)

Critical Praise

“The king of near-future what-ifs is back with a smart and chilling page-turner. Twisty, unsettling, scarily believable and thought provoking, this is his best yet.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

“A scarily plausible alternative future with a truly twisted narrative. Tensely plotted and terrifyingly imagined.” —Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange

“Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never lets go. THE MARRIAGE ACT is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts!” —C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

“An absolute blinder of a book… Another gripping page-turner.” —Claire Allan, author of The Liar’s Daughter

“John Marrs’s creative, high-concept thrillers never fail to keep me furiously turning the pages and The Marriage Act is no exception. Pacy and packed full of tension, the book kept me constantly guessing as the thought-provoking plot about marriage and everything that comes with it unfolded in the most sinister of ways…dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best!”—Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The Sanatorium

“A smart, gripping and scarily believable story from the master of the speculative thriller.”—TM Logan, author of The Curfew and The Holiday

“John Marrs can do no wrong. Like Huxley and Orwell before him, Marrs manages to take real life sanctities and twist them into something terrifyingly plausible. All hail the master of the speculative thriller!”—Jack Jordan, author of Sunday Times bestseller Do No Harm

"Clever, original, and impossible to put down. The Marriage Act had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. John Marrs is a master of suspense." —Jeneva Rose, international bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage

"[A] smart Orwellian thriller set in a near-future U.K. where the financial impact of several pandemics has led to drastic measures... Marrs builds on techno-dystopian ideas explored in prior books to craft a scarily plausible world. Readers will be riveted."—Publishers Weekly

"The characters (both central and supporting) are vividly drawn, and their stories uniquely captivating. Marrs transforms a slightly out-there premise into a gripping, completely believable story full of surprises that prompt reflection. Absolutely compelling.”—Booklist
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