The Doll Factory is the intoxicating story of a young aspiring artist, and the man whose obsession may destroy her. London. 1850. The greatest spectacle the city has ever seen is being built in Hyde Park, and among the crowd watching two people meet. For Iris, the encounter is forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, the meeting marks a new beginning. The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller.