Dark Matter

“Dark Matter” is a nice respite after reading “The Book of Margery Kempe.” Instead of a 15th century woman flinging herself on the floor and weeping piteously over the love of Jesus (true story), we have a man flinging himself through the multiverse to get back to his beloved wife and child (sometimes weeping or lurking obsessively, though).

Blake Crouch has put together an interesting science fiction/suspense-ish story for us. It's quite cinematic and I fully expect to see a movie adaptation arrive in the near future. Who has not asked themselves about the road not taken and where they might be with just one or two different choices?

But, as to depth, well, not so much. Beyond a good premise, I found myself wanting to slap Jason Dessen, who just seemed lackadaisical about traipsing through alternate realities to be with his wife and child. We learn that family is all that matters and you should never choose your career first because you will become an evil genius. However, if you are living and ask boring questions at the dinner table, then you're a-okay. Not a terrible moral, but a bit ham-fisted.

I did find the writing style a little annoying. Many “paragraphs” contained a word or two. It seems like the author tried to make the book longer or more suspenseful with this structure.

All in all, perhaps a 2.78 rating for me, but an entertaining 2.78.