Reviews with content warning for Murder - Dark Matter

Dark Matter explores the what ifs in life. What if I had done this differently, where would I be now?

Jason is happy- he's married, has a teen-aged son, and a job as a physics professor at a lesser known college.

Then, he is kidnapped while walking home from the store. He is taken to an abandoned factory and drugged. When he wakes up, he is in a lab with people who know him but he doesn't know. His return is being celebrated. Where has he been the last 14 months?

Jason needs to figure out what has happened to him. As he tracks down pieces of his life that are very different, he begins to understand what happened to him and who did it.

Dark Matter is fast paced. I found it difficult to put down because I was so invested in Jason and his story.

The premise of the story is rooted very strongly in physics. Not only the concept of a multiverse - where each choice you make creates a branch where the other choice happens- but the Shrodinger's cat problem - how a cat can be both dead and alive at the same moment. The physics is explained in a way that you understand (mostly) without being boring or feeling like it's being dumbed down for a toddler.

I enjoyed reading Dark Matter. When I have the what-ifs, I don't dwell long. I know that the life I have now, the result of so many choices along the way, is one I wouldn't change or give up. It's fun to wonder what happened to those other versions of myself in the multiverse.

I recommend this book and can't wait to discuss it with my book club.

I wish there was another book to tell us what happened to Amanda, though.

Content Warnings

tabea1409's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

creature_81's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

cloud_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Content Warnings

_chrstnlvly's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A brilliant physicist named Jason Dessen is living in Chicago with his wife, Daniela, and son, Charlie. He is a true genius, and while there was a point in his late twenties when his research could have made him a star in his field, he instead chose a family-focused life. One night, while walking home, he's abducted by a mysterious masked man and injected with a drug. When he next awakes, his world has completely changed. He's no longer married, doesn't have a son, and has achieved professional success beyond his wildest dreams. This sets him on a thrilling, mysterious, and at times terrifying journey to learn what has happened to him, and to find his way home to the people and the life he loves. -Blake Crouch when asked about the premise of Dark Matter

Dark Matter unexpectedly brought me to tears. It made me reflect on life and the choices we make. It made me stop and reread certain parts because they resonated deeply.

The book explores the concept of "What If?" and emphasizes that what's meant for us will always find its way to us. It also reminded me that we are ultimately responsible for our paths in life, as our past choices shape our present circumstances.

I believe Dark Matter came into my life at exactly the right moment and it really made a significant impression on me.

This was the first book I've read by Blake Crouch, and it impacted me in such a powerful way that I rated it five stars, despite other readers' opinions that his other books are better.

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