Book Review - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Title: Dark Matter
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2016
 
Description: Jason Dessen is walking hom through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie – when reality shatters.
 
“Are you happy with your life?”
 
Those are the last words Jason hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
 
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
 
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream?
 
And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined – one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
 
Review: “Dark Matter” is not a book that is easily defined by one genre. It’s a psychological thriller, in which Jason doubts whether he can trust his own memory. But also a science fiction story, about a multiverse full of parallel worlds. I think it’s mostly a science fiction book with thriller elements. And it’s sci-fi for people who want to delve into the genre more. Because, even though it has a complex theme and plot, the story never gets too technical or unrealistic.
 
“Dark Matter” centers on an important thought experiment: what if you had made different choices in life? Would you be happy too? Or even happier or less happy? Every choice you make in life, even if it’s just what you’re eating for breakfast, affect the further course of your life. But what would it be like with multiple worlds?
 
It’s really difficult to talk about this book without giving too much away. The story has so many mind-blowing moments and it’s just a wild adventure you go on. The book has tension from the first page, the writing of Blake Crouch simply doesn’t make you want to put it down. I expected it too be a bit more action-packed though.
 
I predicted “Dark Matter” to be a 5-star read. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case here, missed it by a half star, but I still really loved the book. It’s a science fiction book suitable for a wider audience. And I’m really loving Blake Crouch. I will definitely read more of his work.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5