John Marrs 2017 novel The One is a story about finding your perfect match. In Marr’s world there has been a development in the world of love which can genetically match you with your perfect match. The novel follows the lives of six individuals who have applied to find their match. Each character takes us on a journey of the positives and negatives of the idea of a perfect match.
I think a novel like The One is very current in where we currently are in the dating world. From apps and websites, to unique dating events like being matched through a scent, it’s safe to say that the dating world has progressed majorly. And, with science continuously moving forward, it’s not difficult to imagine a world whereby we could be matched with a significant other through our DNA. It seems like an easy solution, right? Avoiding any time wasters, eliminating the anxiety of meeting new people, saying goodbye to potential heartbreak because you are not actually suited and you get all this for just a small fee. However, if you’ve ever thought something like this would be a good idea, Marrs novel will surely prove you wrong – or at least question your views. This is because she fantastically emphasises that you never know what somebody is really like, and what is really going on behind closed doors. Therefore this ‘perfect match’ could be exactly what your genetics requires, but they could be the opposite of what your morals and mind wants. – which you will see evidence in this novel.
When I found Marrs novel The One online, I was immediately drawn in by its concept. So, I was very excited to get my claws into this novel. However, it is not just the idea that I loved, the structure and style is something I really enjoyed too. Each chapter focused on a different character, but also some of these characters could be paired off as couples. For example the chapter’s focusing on Amy and Christopher, demonstrate the two sides of a matched couple. This enabled a more rounded picture regarding the matches, as we were seeing both sides of the match, and their feelings and thought processes towards it. It was interesting to read the two sides as one would try to keep a secret from the other, and we are able to witness first hand these secrets ruining the matches.
I found Marrs novel to be a real page turner, but I think this was solely because I enjoyed reading about some character’s stories more than others, so I wanted to get to their chapters quickly. That being said though, I did find the novel to be an easy read, each story flowed well, and the jumping between each character was pretty smooth. So, even though I was drawn to some characters more than others I did not struggle to get into all of the separate stories. The only thing that I would mention about this style of writing, whereby Marr focused on different characters in different chapters, was that at times I found myself having to go back and double check who I was reading about. Because there is so much going on in The One, I found that when you start reading the novel it can be a little complicated to keep up, though with perseverance you get the hang of it!
I would a hundred percent recommend this book, read it if you like a suspense novel, read it if you like the concept of having a genetic match, or read it if you like a quick read. Because if you like any of those things you are sure to get on well with Marrs The One
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