Rating: ✫✫✫✫✫
I chose The One as my next read purely by chance. I have such an enormous pile of 'to be read' books that, rather than making a decision on which one to read next, I chose to ignore them all and read one of my mum's books instead. Naturally.
I'm really glad that I did. I was really gripped by the blurb on the back, and the whole idea behind the story. The idea that every person has a soulmate that can be identified by studying their DNA is an interesting concept, and I really felt the possibilities for such a story were endless. I was also pleasantly surprised by the feel of the book. You'd think this plot would be best suited to the chick lit genre, whereas the cover and blurb make the book appear as though it would be a horror, or at a very least a tense thriller. Although there were elements of this in the book, I found it was actually far more well-rounded, with elements of romance, humour and lightness hidden within the darker themes. It was a bit of a mash-up of everything, which made it incredibly easy to read. The characters were varied and engaging, the separate plots were intriguing, and the general narrative was easy to read. I finished this book so quick, I couldn't believe I was at the end, and wished it could have gone on longer.
✼
If you knew your soulmate was out there, and could be identified by a small sample of DNA, would you take the test to find your Match?
Nick takes the test with his fiancé Sally to find out if their love was destiny, but is shocked when the unexpected identity of his true Match comes back.
Mandy finds out about her Match, only to discover that she may never be able to meet him.
Jade makes plans to visit her Match on the other side of the world, only to find out that the road to romance isn't that easy.
And Christopher meets his Match in Amy, but how can a serial killer continue to escape capture when his new girlfriend is a police officer?
*spoiler alert*
Concept and discussion
There are so many books out there that it takes a great idea for me to pick up a book, and I really liked the idea behind this one. Mission number one accomplished. Mission number two? Writing the book well enough to live up to the concept. I have read so many stories where, although the idea is great, the execution has let it down. Thankfully this wasn't one of them.
The idea that every person is scientifically linked to another through their DNA is one that has a lot of mileage. People want to believe in soulmates, and that there is one special person out there for everyone. This means the story could have gone in a multitude of different ways, and could so easily have gone wrong. I think Marrs made absolutely the right decision to focus on many character plots, rather than one overriding one. Despite having an interesting idea, I still feel that this book would have grown tedious with just one plotline to it, and it also would have been a real shame. By having a variety of different stories to follow, the book explored the endless possible outcomes that could come from this DNA 'Match' being a reality. This book looks at the locational struggles of having only one Match, as well as the problems that follow on from illness or injury, or even death. It even touches on the potential age gaps between Matches, albeit not in detail. I think the most significant and interesting possibilities were the potentially surprising gender/sexuality Matches, and the moral differences between a couple (enter psychotic Christopher). Furthermore, the multiple plots also keep interest up. As you move on to Ellie, you're still thinking about Nick; when you move on to Jade, you're still keen to find out what happens next for Christopher - and so on and so forth. I usually find with books like this that there is one story at least that I'm less interested in and skim over, but that wasn't the case here. I originally assumed Mandy was going to be the boring one in this instance, but even her story picked up intrigue quickly. It was all so well crafted as to keep the reader wanting more.
It was a book filled with really comprehensive plots. Every detail was neat, every possible plot hole was filled, and there were no disappointments. This idea could so easily have been done to a lesser quality, but it is instead very successful in every element. I loved it; and I also loved the idea of its downfall...
"Sometimes, the grass isn't greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong. And sometimes we just need to take a gamble and hope for the best."
What I think is so important about this plot is the ending. This is a book full of suspense and drama and science. But fundamentally, it's a book about finding love. Ellie's realisation right at the very end is that love isn't about science or DNA. There isn't only one person out there that renders every other useless. Love only happens when you open your heart to it. And I think that's a really important message that Marrs ends with.
The Stories
Mandy
As I've already said, I found Mandy's story to initially be the least gripping, and she continued to be the one I connected with the least. Although I will admit that this did get just a little more intriguing when Richard, her Match, was revealed to be dead (or so I thought). However, I wasn't sure what to make of her story beyond that. I found her quite a dull and irritating character, but I did feel for her that she had been landed in this dreadful situation, so I suppose she can't have been completely bad. When I read about her meeting with Melissa, Richard's ex-girlfriend, I was very intrigued. I think this is the only story of the five that didn't grip me quickly, but it did get steadily more and more interesting as the book progressed. If I just slide past the fact that I think she's ridiculous for going along so easily with the baby plan concocted by Richard's mother and sister... it was a weird one. I didn't dislike the story, but I didn't find it as interesting as the rest, which could easily be put down to my personal taste. I just didn't find the characters as endearing, and the plot didn't progress as well as I expected it to.
This is the only story that I feel would have benefited from being a sole plot in its own novel. The rest worked perfectly well in the confines of the book, and although I would happily have read full books about each story, this was the only one where I think it was necessary to have a full book to really sell Mandy's story.
Well, if one story lives up to the darkness implied by the book's blurb, it's this one. In the first chapter of Christopher's story, we hear about his victims. He just casually talks about garrotting someone - you know, as you do. What a strange man. But that's what made his story so interesting. These characters are all completely different, and the stark contrast between Mandy and Christopher shows that these stories are going to go down very different paths.
You first can't believe he'd ever be interested in meeting his Match, but then he meets Amy, and the cruel twist of fate in making her a police officer is very clever. I found this to be the most intense story, as I spent every chapter waiting and waiting for Amy to discover the truth! I loved the dialogue between them, where Amy would tell Christopher about the case while we listened, completely aware that there was more to his interest than he was letting on.
I also thought it was a great addition for us to see the other side of Christopher emerge through his relationship with Amy. His confusion over having real feelings humanizes him, and creates a greater depth to his character. It leads to a dramatic climax that was done really well. I'm not sure how I feel about Amy letting Christopher get away blame-free. He died, and I'm glad that Amy's moral strength prevailed, but she also coins a nickname for him, giving him exactly what he wanted. I'm not sure if I would have written it in the same way, but I still thought the entire scene, including the build-up to the reveal, was executed really effectively. Seeing her ask herself the question about whether or not they were really Matched was also nice to see. She obviously knew by then that their Match may not be genuine, and she questioned it. She'll never know the truth, but I think it's clear to see the difference between their relationship and the relationship between other couples (for example, Jade and Mark or Nick and Alex). If they hadn't been Matched, they probably would never have chosen a relationship together, so I don't believe their connection was as strong as they were led to believe.
This does lead to the interesting fact again, then, that love happens when you open yourself up to the idea. Christopher believes himself incapable of real feelings, and then is surprised when he finds it can happen for him too. I really enjoyed this story, and the progression of Christopher as a character - even if he was crazy.
Jade
I will say immediately that my relationship with Jade did not get off to a good start. I found her quite whiny, and who the hell goes to Oz on a whim?! I mean, I know you think he's your soulmate, but maybe you should find out if he actually wants you first... It was hardly surprising that Kevin initially turned her away, although I was keen to find out what the situation was. I genuinely believed he already had a wife, so I admit I did feel a little sorry for her, even in her own stupidity.
Jade grew on me though, especially seeing the way she interacted with Kevin. He clearly adored her from the very beginning, and I could see she was a little stuck. Do I think she should have broken his heart when he was so close to the end of his life? No. Do I think it was the best decision to stay with him anyway, knowing she could never return his feelings? Not necessarily. I was fully aware that that was a contradiction, and that there was no right solution for Jade. I felt a bit sorry for her really. However, I don't think she should have married him; although I can see that she did it selflessly because she wanted to make him happy.
I think it's clear to any reader that Jade and Mark were going to end up together. There was a very chick lit feel to this story, and it could easily have padded out a full novel by itself. But I think it worked equally well amidst the other stories. I'm glad they ended up together - it was a really sweet story and I was pleased to see a happy ending after Christopher and Mandy failed to get one. Yet I'm really intrigued by Marr's motive for making Jade and Mark Matched. The plot is directed towards the idea, thanks to Ellie's story, that it is a possibility for the other couples in the book that they are not true Matches. Marrs could so easily have continued with the idea that Jade and Kevin had been Matched by the website, and then revealed at the end that they weren't a true Match, and that's why Jade fell for Mark so easily. Perhaps he just wanted one story to be a sweet, happy, perfect ending by having them Matched up. Whatever the reason, I feel it was a good shout doing it this way.
Nick
This was probably my favourite story of the bunch. Right from the beginning, I felt invested in Nick's life, and this interest didn't disappear throughout the duration of the book. It posed an interesting question from the off - if every person is Matched to just one person, what happens to all the existing marriages and relationships? And beyond that, what if you're Matched to someone of a different gender to what you expected? This was a really interesting question, which was originally raised in Christopher's story. He complains about the possibility of being Matched with someone "queer". I immediately thought this was a really interesting question, and I'm glad it was explored through Nick. Was Nick going to end up with another man instead of Sally? After his first meeting with Alex, it looked like it. I loved Alex immediately, which just me feel more and more sorry for Sally, even if it was her fault for pushing Nick to take the test.
However, the full truth came out about Deepak and the baby, and I stopped feeling sorry for Sally immediately. She brought the whole thing on herself, and she lost everything in the process. I'm not sure if she had to die, though - I thought that was just slightly extreme. But I can see why Marrs went down that route; it left Nick and Alex with the baby. And as the baby is not the biological son of either man, they were on an even footing from the beginning. It was just like a regular adoption. I think it was a really beautiful ending, and I think these are the second (and last) pair who genuinely were Matched.
This was my favourite story, as it had so many different components that made it interesting. I was intrigued initially by the possible complication of Nick and Sally's marriage by taking the test. I was curious about how Nick would proceed after finding out his Match was male. I rooted for Nick because he was a genuinely nice person who just wanted to do what was right. I initially felt sorry for Sally, then was shocked to discover the truth at the end. And I was frustrated by the complication of the baby, which illustrated how invested I was in their story. I thought the plot was well-crafted and progressed well, and the characters made it all the more worth reading.
Ellie
Of all the characters, Ellie was the one I found most difficult to engage with. She was tough to make out, because it was part of her character to be secretive. I found it interesting that she'd been waiting 10 years for a Match.
I felt very let down by the secret that she had founded Match.com. I had assumed from the beginning that that was the case, because what else would make sense? So I don't think that surprise sat as well as it could have done. I also didn't take to Ellie at first; she seemed arrogant and cold. But I warmed to her the more she got to know Tim. This mystery man brought out the best in her, and it made me see all the good aspects of her character.
Imagine my surprise when he turned out to be an imposter. For all my boasting that I had guessed Ellie's secret, I did not see that coming. I had assumed that the entire story would be based around Ellie's inability to let go and let somebody in. This was a well-written switch, because the story changed rapidly, but was done smoothly. It fitted, even though I never expected a shift in the plot. It was interesting to hear how and why this man had chosen to take Ellie down, and how much resentment he had stored up for her. It's easy to see through Ellie's upset that this hit hard, because she genuinely believed she had finally met Mr. Right. Not quite sure if she needed to murder him, but I suppose I can see it.
But the real nail in the coffin was his sabotage of these Matches. People would now never know if their Match was genuine or not. And this resonates through every story. It's not about fate or destiny, it's about taking a chance. Ellie admits herself:
"She'd been happier with him than she had ever thought imaginable, but only now she understood it wasn't because their DNA had dictated it, but because she'd opened herself up to the concept of love."
The Verdict
I really loved the concept of this book. It was a really interesting idea, and I could see that there were so many directions in which the author could take it. It seemed like it was going to be a really dark book from the cover and the blurb, but it actually wasn't. It had dark elements, yes, but it also had very light, happy and positive areas. I was pleased to see that Marrs chose to follow multiple potential storylines that could arise from the idea of DNA Matches. It would have been interesting to read whole novels for each story, but for the purposes of the book as a whole, I think it was important to see different possibilities explored, all neatly tied together by Ellie's storyline.
There were naturally some stories which I liked more than others. Nick and Alex stood out, but I loved the contrast of Christopher and Amy's dark story as well. I didn't take to Mandy's story as much, but that's largely a case of personal preference, and because I wasn't really a fan to her character. However all the stories had clear plot progression, and they all focused on different themes, which I think was what made this book so clever. Mandy's story was based largely on the need for a family, Christopher and Amy battled against very different moral stances, Jade struggled with the possibility of terminal illness and unexpected unrequited love, Nick comes to terms with his sexual identity, and Ellie learns what's really important about love. It was all very neat and I appreciated that.
I just loved every single aspect of this book. There were, admittedly, things that I might have done differently, but I could see the reasoning behind every plot direction Marrs chose. There was a very wide range of characters, so I didn't love them all - but that's also part of the point. We follow so many characters, that they need to all be vastly different in order to make them interesting, and I think this was done very successfully. I finished the book quickly, wishing there was more, and this tells me just how much I enjoyed this novel. I kind of wish there was a whole series of novels based around one story in each, because I think this would look into the potential problems of Match.com in a greater detail. We would be able to see a further depth to each character, and how they respond to these challenges. It's a series that I, for one, would definitely read.
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