Book Review: Dark Matter

 

When the topic of the multiverse comes up, the most common thing people associate it to is comic books. The idea of an infinite strand of universes has a lot of potential but the reality is it’s often just used as an excuse to utilize different versions of characters from different worlds.  As of recently, the multiverse is being set up as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to pull together characters from across several different eras of Marvel movies.  While it’s all well and good, I don’t feel the MCU is at all interested in diving into the actual quality behind the multiverse as a concept (If you want a movie which does that then I’d personally recommend Everything Everywhere All At Once). I’d argue my appreciation of the multiversal concept and the infinite span of realities it produces is grounded way more on the causality and ripple effect of decisions.  It’s interesting to consider for every action we take, there is an infinite number of realities in which we made a different decision. Think about it, we make a multitude of small, unimportant decisions each day alongside key larger decisions.  Considering the infinite spread of worlds in which you didn’t decide to drink a coffee or you did may seem inconsequential, but that’s what life is built up off, so many small decisions which ripple all throughout our days and define who we are.  The fundamental concept is what Blake Crouch nails brilliantly in his science fiction novel Dark Matter.

Dark Matter follows the ordinary life of a college physics professor by the name of Jason Dessen.  Jason lives with his artistic wife Daniela and their son Charlie in Chicago.  While they live in a stable and comfortable position, Jason often gets reminded of how different his life might have been so long ago. Giving up a prestigious career in science, Jason chose the family life and settled for a modest income but a family worth infinitely more.  One night when he goes to celebrate the scientific breakthrough of one of his old college buddies, Jason is kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to a remote location at the edge of town.  Soon after Jason wakes up in a world much like his own but significantly different. The life he had, the wife and child he shared has vanished and in its place is a world in which Jason Dessen pursued his scientific research to define a theory to tap into the very multiverse itself.  Realizing this isn’t his world, it’s down to Jason to use this other Jason’s breakthrough to navigate the infinite spectrum of realities to find the world he belongs to and get home before it’s too late.

On a fundamental level I adore the narrative of this book for how it’s able to set up a genuinely intriguing story, while simultaneously breaking down the fundamental concept of the multiverse along side it.  Jason as a character is easy to empathise with because the core identity he has is one of the content family-man.  Jason doesn’t have the success or the fame of his multiversal counterpart, but he understands there’s far more value in the love of his wife and son.  For many readers, that’s an incredibly relatable characteristic to hone in on and it makes the fact Jason is ripped away from that all the more emotionally devastating.  By separating Jason from his own world, it gives the story a truly compelling thread to weave as we follow Jason as he tries to work out how to get home.  The idea behind how the multiverse is executed in this book is truly intriguing because it shows Blake Crouch understands it on a fundamental level.  He shows how the multiverse to Jason is an infinite spread of decisions and concepts, the core element that ties them all to him are his yearning to find his family.  Seeing Jason explore these worlds is not just an opportunity to further define his journey as well as his character, but it also allows the reader to get a more intimate understanding of Blake Crouch’s interpretation of the multiversal theory. 

What sadly holds this book back for me however is the last third of the story.  I think the ideas at play and their execution through the course of the books page count are amazing, yet the narrative sadly takes a confusing and slightly underwhelming turn near the end.  I think the common underlying flaw with a lot of these big concepts is the ideas are too big to be concluded in a satisfying fashion.  I don’t think the odd narrative turn the story takes near the end is enough to dismiss this book in its entirety, but it’s enough to hold it back from being a nearly perfect reading experience.  I just feel it tries too hard to up the stakes when a more satisfying approach would have been to go for smaller yet still emotionally direct confrontation. I think what helps the book along is it’s pacing and tone though.  Each section of the book moves along as a moderate pace and you never feel dragged down in one section of the story for too long.  I like the mix of comedy and tension Crouch is able to blend so seamlessly within the tone of this book also.

Dark Matter is one of the better explorations of the multiverse I’ve experienced. I love how Blake Crouch explores the concept from a more scientific perspective all the while blending it alongside truly heartfelt tale of a father and husband trying to get back home to his family.  Even with its underwhelming final arc this a truly worthwhile book for anyone to pick up and appreciate just for its fun exploration of the multiversal concept as a whole.