What is Dark Matter About?
A mindbending, relentlessly surprising thriller from the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy.
Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream?
And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human–a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.
My Honest Review
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently experienced Dark Matter as an audiobook during an eight-hour drive home from Kansas, and it turned out to be the perfect choice. From the very beginning, the story hits the ground running. It was fast-paced, immersive, and impossible to put down. We originally chose it because we wanted something engaging, and because I’ve always been drawn to science fiction and quantum theory, even if I’m not particularly skilled at math or science myself. This book delivered on every level.
What surprised me most was how interactive the experience became. As the story unfolded, my partner and I found ourselves pausing to ask each other what we would do in similar situations, how we would react if we lost the person we loved, or if our lives suddenly fractured into alternate possibilities. That alone made the listening experience deeply memorable and intimate.
Even after arriving home, we couldn’t stop until the book was over. We unpacked, showered, got in bed, and listened to the final two hours together. The novel’s exploration of choice, identity, and parallel realities sparked genuine introspection, forcing reflection on how every decision branches into a different life. The world-building is strong, the characters compelling, and at its core, the story is about fighting to return to the person you love, even when it means confronting yourself. UGH SO GOOD.
I found Dark Matter brilliantly done and incredibly satisfying. I’d highly recommend it, especially as an audiobook shared with someone you care about.
