Book Review: Dark Matter

Please enjoy the book summary (from Goodreads) followed by my mini book review in the form of a list of five questions. Spoilers ahead, beware.

The summary of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch from Goodreads:

“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.
From the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

Lisa’s Nutshell Book Review

What did I like/dislike about this book?

This book absolutely thrilled me. The writing was crisp, pacing was excellent, concept was unique. My heart literally raced with every turn of the page.

What intrigued me specifically about this book?

The main character Jason finds himself swapped into another version of his own life by a more ruthless version of himself. How did this happen? How is it possible? Can he find his way back to his old life, however unspectacular it may have seemed? The infinite possibilities of a different life with each choice he faced were fascinating to consider. Ultimately, of all those possibilities, Jason’s true desire was to reunite with his family without becoming ruthless himself.

What was one specific passage that struck me?

Two points. One, there was a moment when many Jasons converged upon one spot and it reminded me of a moment in The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Two, I believe this book in general is a love letter to family. The love and comforts of your unique family is worth more than all the success in the world, even if you have to put your life on the line over and over to find it.

Would I recommend this book?

Absolutely, without question.

Do I own this book?

No, but I would buy it to lend it out.