The Marriage Act: A Novel

· Dark Future Book 2 · Hanover Square Press · Narrated by John Marrs, Clare Corbett, Nathalie Buscombe, David Monteith, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, and Joshua Riley
6 reviews
Audiobook
12 hr 21 min
Unabridged
Eligible
Want a free 16 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline. 
Add

About this audiobook

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, now available as an expanded edition.

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 Marriage Act
  • The Vacation
  • The Family Experiment
  • The One
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, now available as an expanded edition. Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the...

Discover more

Ratings and reviews

6 reviews
Sarah Simpson
October 24, 2023
If you enjoy satire and speculations or exaggerated predictions of the future, then you'll enjoy this book. I would compare the story to Minority Report, The One (written by the same author), 12 Monkeys, In Time, District 9. Set in the near future, the author uses current or upcoming advancements such as artificial intelligence to describe how easily the government can dictate what its people can or cannot do. Disguised as a choice, the Marriage Act forces people to get/stay married, and punishes those who don't comply. It's a warning to us and I hope readers get it. I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook. With one exception, the narrators were quite good!
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

John Marrs is the author of The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, and Welcome to Wherever You Are. A freelance journalist based in London, England, he has spent the past 20 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines. He has written for publications including the Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online, Total Film, Huffington Post, Empire, Q, GT, the Independent, S Magazine and Company.

John Marrs is the author of The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, and Welcome to Wherever You Are. A freelance journalist based in London, England, he has spent the past 20 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines. He ha...

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.