Book Review — The One by John Marrs
Twistiest of all twisty rides.
How can a story pack a twist at the end of each of its chapters? Sort of like a cliffhanger of its own.
Mystery fics or thriller fics don't necessarily have to be darker or laybrinthian complex to be compelling reads. Evil doesn't have to be defined by mere lies, deception, violence, brutality, or abuse. It can take the form of as innocent a thing as finding a gene in human DNA which can match a person with their soulmate. Well, seemingly innocent.
"A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for."
Something so monumentally historic scientific discovery is bound to have repercussions. And no one can predict what's going to happen once you are matched with your significant other. Neither the scientists, nor the characters, not even the habitual mystery readers can predict what's going to unfold for these five main characters. The story begins when five people are DNA matched with five different people who are their one true love according to the test results.
This book shatters the walls and definitions of what we assume as a genre. It also shattered my preconceived notion that having to read more than three separate narratives parallely would to be disorienting. According to the author, it's a "Speculative fiction", a term I had to Google. This one breaks all the norms and yet comes out with flying colours.
And I cannot not talk about the end. The climax. The last page to be precise. How does John Marrs manage to deliver a "Wow factor" last page with each of his books. That last page will keep on lingering in my thoughts just as the last few lines of "Keep it in Your Family" did.
