doitjusticeblog

[doitjusticeblog]

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Review.

                      “ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LIFE?”

How many people ask themselves this question anymore? 

“Dark Matter”, written by Blake Crouch, is an intelligent, excellently paced and even better written story; a pulse raising novel that will make you ponder the ideas of human nature and the ever expanding universe.

      “Dark Matter” centers around it’s main character Jason Dessen and his family; wife, Daniela and son, Charlie. Jason, a prodigal researcher in the field of quantum physics, gets his girlfriend of 3 months pregnant. In lieu of walking away and reaching his peak potential Jason chooses to give it all up for this woman and his future child. Fast forward fifteen years later; Jason and his family couldn’t be happier, then EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED! after a very troubling night out, our hero awakens to find himself in a world that’s not his own. A world where he never stayed with and married his girlfriend, never had his son, and never gave up his potential in the scientific field.

      As you follow Jason through his new predicament both you and he will question what’s real and what the right choices to make are, some choices will be harder than others, for this universe is (Despite the title being Dark Matter) Gray. Dark Matter is a story about love, family, happiness and most of all, it’s a story about the choices we make every day to shape who we will become in the future.

                                      ON TO THE REVIEW

I really don’t want to spoil much of this book; I highly recommend reading it on it’s own, so I just want to talk more about the mechanics and meanings of this wonderful story written by Blake Crouch.

             Science; the Sturdy Backbone of This Book

The book delves deep into the Multiverse theory and the principle of Quantum Superposition (See Schrödinger's cat). If you aren’t very savvy with what that means, here’s my amateur explanation; the theory is that their are multiple universes alongside our own, some barely different and some astronomically foreign in comparison to the one we’re currently observing. Now the idea is that our universe, and what we consciously perceive, is a line; At every choice ever made, no (Dark) matter (ha) how small, every outcome occurs. However only the outcome our current conscious observes stays within our own line, all other outcomes happen, but branch out into different lines from the point they happen from within our own like a tree. For example, if you were to flip a coin, and the coin landed on heads; there would be two universes born within that moment; one where the coin lands on heads and another where the coin lands on tails; even though you witness the coin landing on heads there is another universe where you witness it landing on tails.

      The story expresses and reflects the truth of how every little action and reaction could change your future, in some drastic and unforeseen way. All of this is possible because of the solid writing and phenomenal main character’s foot steps to follow in.

                                       Our Protagonist

Mr. Dessen is a man who knows what he wants. In other stories with similar plots, the protagonist may start out their journey bittered by life and go through ordeals to learn the lesson of the worth of what they have, or had depending on the ending. From the very first pages of Dark Matter you can see Jason, even while recollecting the path not taken, doesn’t lament in his decision to start a family, rather than pursuing his career; he’s truly happy with his choice.

“Daniela, on my deathbed I would rather have memories of you than a cold, sterile lab”- Jason Dessen, Page 10.

      Our hero isn’t a man who has lost or sacrificed his passion, but a man who has found a greater passion and happiness in something else. He’s a man with a lot of integrity while still feeling very fallible and human; he’s not without temptation; He doesn’t always know exactly what to do, even with his genius level intelligence. 

                                                 At It’s Core

Overall “Dark Matter”’s lesson for it’s readers is that, you are always in control of your future based on the choices you make in the present, even if you start out lost or without a destination. With a bit of mindfulness you’re able to use those everyday choices to change where you are, who you are, and who you want to be. The most basic actions and seemingly insignificant actions can eventually chip away at the wall standing between you, and the future most desired. 

In the end it all just comes down to making the conscious choice of steering the universe into your favor.

                       Choice’s Based on Who You Want to Be

“There’s a connection here, and it’s getting stronger everyday.

 If I moved an inch closer in her direction, we would do this.

No question in my mind.

And if i did kiss her, if we slept together, maybe i’d feel guilty and regret it, or maybe i’d realize that she could make me happy.

Some version of me certainly kissed her in this moment.

Some version knows the answer.

But it won’t be me.” - Jason Dessen, page 222

      Typically whenever someone is faced with a situation where choice is involved they think of two things; morality and results, however this story pushes you to think past even that. “Dark Matter” wants you to also imagine not only the outcome or whether the decision is right or wrong, but to look at how the path that choice can alter who we are. Any singular option has the possibility of more than black or white; there are so many different shades and colors in between. If you don’t understand what I mean, by the final chapter, you will. At the end of the road you may end up achieving what you want; but will you be who you want? Take into account not just what you need to be happy, but the kind of person you want to be when you get there.

                                                 Wrapping up 

Throughout the entire adventure that is “Dark Matter”, you’ll be provoked to think and feel, you’ll be inspired, and at the end of your seat, flipping to the next page in anticipation of what’s going to happen next.

      When you do finish Dark Matter, a lot of things will be going through your head, such as-

HOLY HELL

JESUS CHRIST

Are you where you want to be?

Are you who you want to be?

Are you who you were meant to be?

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR LIFE?