{"product_id":"the-family-experiment-by-john-marrs-9781529071238","title":"The Family Experiment","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"John Marrs is not to be missed.\" \u003cem\u003eFreida McFadden\u003c\/em\u003e, bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Housemaid\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"The books of John Marrs have become a quiet phenomenon . . . Thoughtful, well written . . . and alarming.\" - \u003cem\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome families are virtually perfect . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch, which they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen, but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their Virtual Child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSet in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novels \u003cem\u003eThe One\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Marriage Act\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Family Experiment\u003c\/em\u003e is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"His best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.\" - Claire Douglas, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Woman Who Lied\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"An unsettling and immersive roller coaster which hurtles towards a chilling denouement - a truly thought-provoking, single-sitting thriller. Loved it.\" - Ellery Lloyd, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Club\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Chilling, inventive, horribly plausible and brilliantly addictive.\" - C. J. Tudor, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Gathering\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"The Distribution and Logistics Company (TDLC)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47136934428908,"sku":"9781529071238","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11134103482732.jpg?v=1766448056","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/products\/the-family-experiment-by-john-marrs-9781529071238","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}