Review: The Family Experiment

The Family Experiment by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I grabbed John Marrs's The Family Experiment hoping I was in for a darkly serene future in which the boundaries of reality and virtual reality are smudged and the want for family is made heavy and twisted. That's precisely what I got.

Set in the same uncanny dystopian universe as The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment brings a new look into technology's impact on human relationships.

While both books work on critiquing technological involvement in manipulating human emotions and relationships, the former attacks the very institution of marriage, whereas this story works its way through the consequences of artificial parenthood and therefore into ethical dilemmas regarding the creation of life in virtual space. Together, they call into play a vision of the future in which actual human connections may be questionable.

In this scenario, ten families take part in The Substitute, a reality tv-show in which they raise virtual children from birth to eighteen years old over a nine-month period. The winner has the option of keeping their virtual child or sacrificing it for the chance to have a real one. It's a terrifyingly intriguing concept that really brought up thoughts on the nature of parenthood, technology, and the human need for connection.

These children have personalities, can think, be emotional, and even feel pain. However, for the producers of the show, what really matters is the public ratings and the profit generated through those virtual children. In effect, that poses a pretty worrying comment on the exploitation of technology and the breakdown of human values.

The depth of parenthood is poignantly explored. These couples are compelled by an urgent need for family, yet humanly imperfect, carrying within themselves traumas and various insecurities. Virtual parenting propels them to face their most intimate desires, terrors, and the very nature of parenthood.

The multiple perspectives allow me to gain insight into the minds of the couples, the show’s producers, and even the virtual children themselves. As the borders separating reality from illusion becoming more hazy, this multi-layered approach creates a sense of claustrophobia and paranoia.

Ultimately, The Family Experiment is a remarkable read due to Marrs's ability to combine psychological inquiry, societal commentary, and suspense with a gripping story. To those interested in dystopian thrillers with a taste of dark humour and a picture of just how terrifying the future of technology and family really might be, I highly suggest this book.

Content Warnings

Graphic - Child death, Trafficking, Murder

Moderate - Child abuse, Addiction, Cancer

Minor - Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Car accident

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