The Marriage Act

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