{"product_id":"9781529071238","title":"The Family Experiment","description":"Author: John Marrs\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781529071238\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Pan Macmillan UK\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 19 Aug 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 480 \u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn Marrs is not to be missed.\" Freida McFadden, bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e The Housemaid\u003c\/i\u003e 'The books of John Marrs have become a quiet phenomenon . . . Thoughtful, well written . . . and alarming' - \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e Some families are \u003ci\u003evirtually \u003c\/i\u003eperfect . . . The 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. But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who 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 . . . Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel\u003ci\u003e The One \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Marriage Act\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Family Experiment \u003c\/i\u003eis a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby. 'His best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.' - Claire Douglas, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Woman Who Lied\u003c\/i\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 \u003ci\u003eThe Club\u003c\/i\u003e 'Chilling, inventive, horribly plausible and brilliantly addictive.' - C. J. Tudor, author of The Gathering","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46524187541662,"sku":"TLD-9781529071238","price":24.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781529071238.jpg?v=1771389766","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781529071238","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}