Unlocking the Secrets of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
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What you must know at the start is that Dark Matter is by no means a book you would consider to be rational. It is unsensible in the best way possible. Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen, a physicist who once had dreams of creating “the quantum superposition on an object that was visible to the human eye”. Think of Schrodinger’s cat but instead of it being the cat that is both dead and alive it is a person. But let’s not jump too far ahead.
Jason has it all. A beautiful and loving wife Daniela, a son Charlie, and although not the life he initially envisioned for himself, a life as a professor at one of the local universities. During a weekly family dinner night, Daniela sends Jason out to catch up with a colleague, and of course, he must bring ice cream back. On the leisurely walk home, Jason is kidnapped and drugged. Waking to find himself in a version of Chicago he doesn’t recognize.
In this city that is not his own, he has never married, doesn’t have a son, and has accomplished all of the things in life he initially gave up. Finding a way to tap into the multiverse.
Title: Dark Matter
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Spice Rating: 0 chili peppers
Tropes: Hidden Identity, Multiverse
As the narrator Jason speaks to us in first person, adding a dynamic to the story that feels tense and urgent. As the narrator of his own story, Jason has the power to either make or break the story. There is no flowery flare or melodic prose to Dark Matter. It is a story that is strong and immersive from the first page. By the time you start the first sentence of chapter two, you will be invested and intrigued by the plot of Dark Matter. Although you won’t know much about the story.
“We’re more than the sum total of our choices, that all the paths we might have taken factor somehow into the math of our identity.”
At the start, it feels like he is playing “chicken” with himself. Leaving clues to the secret identity of the one pulling the strings. What you do know is that you feel cognizant of certain facts. I can’t say because it feels like a SPOILER. And with that cognition, you are hyper-aware of the storyline. Like puzzle pieces are taking shape and linking together but not fully forming the picture on the box.
Unsurprisingly, Dark Matter is a story that makes you think beyond the normal realms of what is possible. Yes, do we know that there are infinite timelines in the world we live in absolutely. But, with that Dark Matter feels like it is projecting an idea that we don’t know this to be true. And thus creating a story with the multiverse within.
“We all live day to day completely oblivious to the fact that we’re a part of a much larger and stranger reality than we can possibly imagine.”
As far as the plot goes, Dark Matter feels like a lot of exposition. Not in the way that things feel bogged down and just don’t work. This gives great detail to the story. Adding to the engagement and fast-paced nature of the plot. Things unfurl with each page sinking you deeper into the story. Revealing details while not giving away too much too soon. Showing you while also telling you what is going on.
Even though Dark Matter is a science fiction book it reads like a thriller. Beyond it being break necked speed it is relentless in the way that it drives and propels the story forward. The action never stops. It continuously builds and builds until the ending (we will get to the ending). Every time to start to grasp the storyline a wrench is thrown in the plan and it’s not something that you see coming.
“Is it possible to outthink yourself?”
Let’s wrap this baby up, shall we? Ok, I am never one for the ending of books that I am thoroughly enjoying. I hate to see them end and oftentimes, I want more of the story. But all things must come to an end. The ending of Dark Matter felt unsatisfying. I wanted more of the story. I wanted to see how it continued, where they ended up, etc. What the next choice brought. I just wanted more! Beyond my dislike for the way it wrapped (due only to my fault, nothing of the story or author’s fault) I loved every minute.
Dark Matter is on AppleTV so you can tune in. If you like audiobooks Libro.fm has it for a great price.
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