Book Review: DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch

I loved Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I don’t typically read science fiction, but we decided to branch out in one of my book clubs and gave this one a try. It didn’t hurt that I was coming off the epic-ness of The House of the Spirits and other heavier reads and was longing for a quick page-turner. And that’s just what this was.

When Jason Dessen wakes up in an alternate universe of his own making, his sole mission becomes getting back to the life he knew before. And that’s all I can tell you without giving too much away!

There were so many great things about this book… the twisty, bendy plot, the thought-provoking questions about all the “what-ifs” in life, the characters, the relationships, etc. The story often focuses on the choices we make and how they affect us, and Crouch did a great job of writing the story in such a way that we never quite saw what was coming around the bend, how each choice the characters made would affect the next part of the story.

It’s difficult for my own opinions not to be influenced after discussing a book with others, and so I was hoping to have this review written before my book club met so I wouldn’t be persuaded. But that didn’t happen! Let me tell you a little about what the others thought so you can decide if this is the book for you.

A couple people thought there were parts that were too drawn out and unnecessary. I mostly did not feel that way. There were a couple parts where they were breaking down the science behind what was happening where I had to slow down and look up some terms to understand, but other than that, I was captivated the entire time.

One person felt that the other worlds Jason saw was a tedious and boring part of the narrative. She just wanted to get to the action. While I loved seeing those other worlds and was sad when the book ended because I wanted to see more.

And then there was a matter of the actual science. I don’t want to spoil anything, but several people, including me, had some trouble finding various aspects of the science believable. But then it is science fiction. So some reality has to be suspended for books like these to work.

This is why I have trouble with science fiction in general though. I want everything to make sense. Like a math equation, I need to solve the problem and there needs to be a solid answer. But science is often based on theory. And then you add the fiction to it and you’re often left with a big soupy mess of questions instead of any steady, solid answers. I can suspend reality and believe in unicorns and fairies all day long, but if you’re trying to make me believe something that should actually make sense in reality, you might lose me. This is an intricate aspect of my own brain that complicates matters. Maybe these things don’t bother you.

In any case, overall I really loved Dark Matter and most everyone in my club agreed that it was definitely a page-turner and a quick, interesting read.

Buy Dark Matter by Blake Crouch: Amazon | Book Depository

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