The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County (often referred to as The Serial) is a satirical novel about Marin County, California, written by Cyra McFadden. Beginning in 1976, the book's chapters had been serialized in the Marin County alternative weekly newspaper Pacific Sun, as well as the San Francisco Chronicle. It was first published in book form in 1977. The book deals with life in mid-1970s Marin County, a suburban and affluent county just north of San Francisco.