Crown Publishing, July 26, 2016.
Five Stars
Jason has a wonderful yet mediocre life with his wife
and son. He gave up a promising career as an experimental physicist to teach at
a local college, and his wife abandoned her painting to stay at home and raise
their son. Although he has occasional regrets, Jason’s happiest moments are
spent with his family, cooking dinner and talking about their day in their cozy
kitchen.
One night, Jason goes out for a drink with a work
colleague who has just won a prestigious physics award. He feels pangs of
jealousy, but ultimately just wants to get home to his family. On his way home,
Jason is abducted by someone who seems to know everything about him, including
his thoughts and moves before he even makes them. His kidnapper leaves him
unconscious in a dark, abandoned building – but when Jason wakes up, he is far
from alone. Instead, the building is filled with scientists who claim to be his
coworkers, joyously welcoming him home from a multi-dimensional physics
experiment.
As Jason struggles to come to terms with his new
reality, he learns that his wife is no longer his wife, and his son does not
exist. Instead of his comfortable, domestic life, Jason is a world-renowned
physicist who has created a way to explore parallel universes. Although he now has
success, money and power, it is not his life. He cannot at first come to grips
with which world is the real one – or if both are real, where does he belong?
All that matters to Jason is getting back to the family he left behind, and he
is willing to sacrifice everything to get there.
Dark Matter explores the many worlds theory of physics, in which all possible
worlds exist at any given time. It is an old concept in science fiction, but
Crouch manages to explore it in a new and entertaining way. It is a sci-fi
thriller with increasingly complex twists, although it is always clear and easy
to follow. There is no unnecessary scientific jargon to take away from the pure
fun of this story. It is a complicated concept made very simple, and anyone can
enjoy this book, regardless of scientific knowledge.
With its multi-genre appeal, this novel will interest
a wide audience. Just when you think Jason has everything figured out, there
are more shocking twists to thwart his path back to the life he left behind. He
must take a surprising journey to get back, which includes confronting the
darkness inside himself, as he may be his own worst enemy. The biggest lesson
that Jason leaves us with is the importance of appreciating the life we have,
because it could disappear without warning. This was such fun to read, while
really making you think at the same time – for me, a perfect summer read.
I received this novel from Crown Publishing and
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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