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The Marriage Act cover art

The Marriage Act

By: John Marrs
Narrated by: Clare Corbett, David Monteith, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, John Marrs, Joshua Riley, Nathalie Buscombe
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Summary

From John Marrs, the bestselling author of The One. Set in the same world, and narrated by a full cast, The Marriage Act is a dark, high-concept thriller.

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.

©2023 John Marrs (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

Critic reviews

"One of the most exciting original thriller writers." (Simon Kernick)

"Marrs is brilliant at twists...for the addicts of adrenaline-fuelled twisty rides." (Peter James)

"Another savagely clever near-future thriller. Provocative, terrifying and compulsive. If you loved The One, you’ll love this!" (Cara Hunter)

What listeners say about The Marriage Act

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Loved this

Great book, great narration- my first Audible book. The characters were likeable, chilling and relatable-love this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed

Twisty and turny- scarily has potential to become reality. Really enjoyed it and didn’t suspect all of the thing that happened in Act 3.

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  • Overall
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Sensational

Well worth the wait. Love speculative thrillers and John Marrs is the master of these. Great narrative and production as well made this the best so far. Brilliant.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Compulsive but irritating

I liked the interplay of the different characters and the excellent narration by multiple authors. I felt compelled to finish this so I guess it was a gripping tale. But this is not great fiction.. or even great science fiction, some of the plot is so silly that none of it feels scary in the way it really should and the main ‘punchline’ was obvious from the start, So I found it rather irritating,

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Believable and scary because of that

Really enjoyed and real it felt that this could all happen. Scared the life out of me to think what’s next with AI etc

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Good read

Well written and entertaining. A good read which is not too far fetched (unfortunately). Will look out for more of his books.

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  • Overall
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Fantastic read

I started and finished this on the same day, I just couldn’t put it down. Love that it’s set around Northampton too, I live nearby and we hardly ever get a mention in fictional stories.
Story and narration were both excellent, multiple narrators which were all clear and easy to distinguish.
I rarely write a review but couldn’t not do on this occasion. I’ll be looking for other books by John Marrs.

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loved It

another fabulous book can't get enough of John Marrs. I always look forward to picking up things mentioned in previous books

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    3 out of 5 stars

Thrilling read

Another great book by John Marrs. Lots of twists, turns and memorable characters. Recommended read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Took a while.

Those that have read other works from this author will be familiar with the theme. Set in the near future, with technology invented to enhance our future, going awry.

I struggled initially. The chapters follow a list of characters. I struggled to keep up with who was who. Also, I didn't particularly like any of them. However, about a quarter way through, one reveals his true colours, and it started to get interesting. So a slow burner for me but worth sticking with.

Narration good for the most part, though one or two seem to think they're in a radio play and are a little 'acty' for me.

Not his best but worth a credit.

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10 people found this helpful