Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
7:08 PM
Dark Matter
by Blake Crouch
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen 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 has 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.
Wow! Most of the reviews that I came across before reading Dark Matter said it was a "mind fuck." I couldn't agree more. While this book will be difficult to review without giving away the entire plot, I will give it a shot.
I loved reading Dark Matter. A lot of the time when I read a book it can be a chore because I'm ready to move on to a new one. I'll constantly look at the page numbers and countdown until I'm done. I actually enjoyed watching this story unfold. There was never a dull moment! I kept calling my boyfriend in the room to read him bits of it, and while he didn't get the full context, he agreed that it did sound like an interesting concept.
This story is written in first-person POV with Jason as our protagonist. He is a physics professor at a small college and is married to Daniela; they have a son Charlie. It's clear early on that though both Jason and Daniela are happy together, they always wonder what could have been. Jason is a physicist and was in the midst of groundbreaking research when Daniela, who he'd only been dating for two months, told him she's pregnant. Daniela is a talented artist that pushed her passion aside to become a stay-at-home mom to Charlie.
In the present day, they are cooking dinner for their annual family night, and Daniela is reading and article about one of her friends that had become a successful artist winning a prestigious award. Jason can relate since he found out that his former college roommate and friend Ryan just won the Priva Award which includes a million dollar grant. Jason tells Daniela that he was invited to the bar he regularly frequents to celebrate Ryan's achievement and she convinces him to go. When Ryan heads home from the bar, he is abducted and drugged. When he wakes, he is greeted by like a hero returning from war. He is apparently confused and starts to question if his life with his wife and son was even real. From this point on the story takes off.
“If you strip away all the trappings of personality and lifestyle, what are the core components that make me me?”
Dark Matter is so well written and gripping. I couldn't put it down. Seriously. I started reading and a few hours later looked at the clock to see that it was 3 AM. It was totally worth staying up late (and feeling like shit the next day) to find out what exactly happened. If you're a fan of Sci-Fi/Thrillers, I can't recommend this enough. Your mind will be blown.
Playlist:
Illuminate by Lydia
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