A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
Jason Dessen, a Chicago-based physics professor, enjoys the life he built with his wife Daniela and their teenage son, Charlie. It’s true that as a former rising star in the field of quantum mechanics, Jason could have revolutionized his field, but chose instead to stay with Daniela when they accidentally became pregnant, and a life as a mediocre academic. While Jason finds his life comfortable, he begins to feel some regret that he allowed opportunities to pass him by, especially as his friends begin to excel in their chosen industries. When Jason is drugged and kidnapped on his way home, he soon gets confronted with the consequences of the road not taken.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a thriller based in a multiverse where every decision we make ends up creating new branches of possibility. Jason’s regrets and his choices end up having a profound impact on the story, with every attempt to get home showing Jason a world where things don’t align with his reality. The result is a story that questions the very nature of the decisions we make and whether they are something to be regretted or embraced, even as they close other doors behind us.
In some ways, Dark Matter calls to mind works like The World According to Garp by John Irving or Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu because it focuses on the drive to create work that’s meaningful and fulfilling, along with the choices that such desires often require. However, what makes Dark Matter different from The World According to Garp and Interior Chinatown is that it starts with the premise that the protagonist is right where he’s supposed to be, but doesn’t appreciate it until it’s gone, where the other two novels start with the focus on professional success and experience the lack of personal success later. This distinction makes Dark Matter a thriller that recognizes the value of family life over professional work by making it the default assumption instead of professional success while still playing with the ideas presented by The World According to Garp and Interior Chinatown, such as ambition and how choices shape identity.
For the casual reader, Dark Matter presents an interesting read if you love thrillers because it builds suspense in an unusual way while presenting the consequences of our actions as the main driver for risk. Crouch’s ability to shape the narrative squarely around our own decisions enables the plot twist to work while still feeling satisfying. Additionally, the book itself is paced to be consumed quickly, which adds to the feeling of suspense. If you aren’t someone who loves thrillers, there’s still value in reading Dark Matter because I found its focus on research, problem-solving, and scientific theory and application to provide enough material to warrant enjoyment.
For writers, Crouch’s work provides an interesting reference case for stories that take place in the multiverse and the typical narratives around “what makes a meaningful life?” Multiverse stories often get into the more creative interpretations of what it means to have an infinite number of universes with infinite possibilities, including different anatomical structures for the people who inhabit them, and this can cause problems if poorly executed. However, Crouch’s focus on decisions and consequences to shape his multiverse makes the story feel more grounded and real, which lent itself well to the thriller genre in its ability to induce anxiety and grittiness. This focus on the decisions we make also helps provide a refreshing perspective on how to portray and talk about the ways people live and make peace with regrets.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of A.J. Hackwith’s Toto!
The Writerly Review 