Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Book Overview
In Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, we’re introduced to Jason Desson an ordinary college professor living a cozy life with his wife Daniela and teenage son Charlie. They’re enjoying a typical Friday night dinner as Jason contemplates with his wife how they sacrificed their dreams and chose love, marriage, and family over being wildly successful in their respective careers.
Then by chance, Daniela learns that Jason’s college friend Ryan is at the neighborhood bar nearby celebrating being the recipient of the prestigious Pavia prize. Daniela coaxes him to join the celebration and congratulate Ryan on his success. Jason goes and wishes Ryan well which is short-lived due to Ryan’s disappointment that Jason hasn’t achieved any milestones in his career and has settled into mediocrity as a physics professor.
Disgruntled Jason heads home but is ambushed by a stranger wearing a white mask and abducted. He’s forced to drive to an abandoned warehouse on the far side of town. His abductor proceeds to ask him strange questions about his wife and family. And asks the most chilling question of all “Are you happy in your life?”
After forcing Jason to disrobe and change into alternate clothing provided by the stranger he proceeds to drug him until Jason becomes unconscious.
Next Jason wakes up in a strange location what appears to be a lab of some sort. He’s fading in and out of consciousness and various people he doesn’t know are surrounding him attaching him to a hospital bed and transporting him into a decontamination room. They continually try to ask him questions about his travel experience while simultaneously congratulating him on his success. Confused and out of sorts he struggles to make sense of the situation.
In a fit of shock, he escapes the institute and tries to go home but upon arrival finds it’s changed and different. His family is nowhere to be found. Through a torturous and disorienting process, he realizes he’s in some alternate universe. And the stranger that abducted him was actually a dopplegänger intent on stealing his life. So begins the long journey of unraveling the truth of what happened that fateful Friday night and how can he make it back home to his family and his universe before time runs out.
Book Review
From the onset, this genre-bender oozes mystery and suspense with fantastic thrilling elements while seamlessly infusing Sci-Fi elements. Furthermore, it does a fantastic job of exploring the concept of what would you do if you could take the path not traveled and step into a different life. One where you chose love over success. What would you do to claim that life as your own?
I found this book to be action-packed and fast-paced. You didn’t get a chance to be bored or wonder because you’re constantly on the edge of your seat trying to unravel what’s happening and what’s next. And, this pacing structure was an excellent choice for this book.
Additionally, the Sci-Fi elements were done in such a way that it didn’t alienate those who weren’t familiar with these concepts relating to quantum physics. Crouch did a good job of dumbing it down for the regular folk.
Finally, the conclusion was epic. The way everything built up following the plot twist we’re introduced to in the last thirty percent of the book. And, how it all played out leading to that final scene was amazing. The perfect finish to this story.
My Thoughts
I was introduced to this book after watching the Apple TV adaptation and was so excited to read the book and see how it stacked up. I’m so glad I did because the book is such a phenomenal experience and is super thought-provoking. It goes into more depth regarding the themes of identity, how our choices shape our reality, what truly makes a person successful, and how far would you go to take the road not traveled.
I also appreciated getting an inside peek into the thought processes and emotions that Jason experienced during his ordeal. It made him more relatable and I felt I understood him better than I did in the show. Because of this, I was able to realize that before the abduction Jason wasn’t truly happy and content with his life. While I believe he loved his family there were doubts and questions and perhaps a little regret.
However, being stolen from his reality and dropped in an alternate one I believe he came to realize how what he had was better than the life he thought he could’ve created had he been wildly successful and achieved his professional aspirations. I think throughout this process he made some discoveries about himself, his life, what truly defined success, and what really made him happy.
