Book Review: Dark Matters by Blake Crouch

Dark Matters is a sci-fi novel that explores the idea of what if-what if I did this or that, how would my life have turned out? or what if I could do it all over again, etc.  The protagonist of the story is a physicist with a promising career ahead of him.  He knocks up his girlfriend and chooses to marry her and have their child.  His career becomes secondary to his family.  He settles for teaching college over winning scientific advancement awards.  One night, he goes to a bar to celebrate with his college buddy who has just won a prestigious award.  The award should have been his, but he humbly lets his friend enjoy the accomplishment.  On the way home, his life is changed forever.  He gets abducted and then imprisoned in a facility that he had built within another parallel universe.  

Confused?  Crouch (Wayward Pines) does a great job explaining it all.  You don't need a degree in sting theory or time travel.  I whipped through the first half of the book with the speed of lightning.  Our hero travels though several parallel universes to find his wife (or the same wife that he last remembered).  This ultimately is a love story that cancels out all regret.  Crouch did an amazing job drawing me into the possibilities of other life options through science.  The second half of the book was a let down.  Without spoiling the ending, I didn't understand it.  Over all, I would have to give the book 3 stars (five for the first half and then 1 for the second half).  If anyone can explain the ending, please leave a comment!