A review by savvylit
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Dark Matter is a very well-paced thriller, with a few unexpected twists and turns. It reads almost like a novelization of an action movie: there is so much plot. So much plot and so little characterization. Sadly, any character who isn't Jason is an incredibly two-dimensional person. One of the worst examples of this is poor Amanda - who seems to exist solely as a plot device. 

Another issue that I had with Dark Matter is that it took Jason so long to figure out that he was no longer in his own world. (This isn't much of a spoiler because this happens immediately in the story). If Jason was such a genius, then why does it take him so long to realize why his house looks different or why his wife is no longer his wife? Duh, dude. It's a parallel world. 

Ultimately, Dark Matter did keep me interested until the end. However, I think that this type of thriller - all plot, all action - is not for me. I can definitely see the book's merits but I won't be picking up anything else like this any time soon.
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