Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Do you ever wonder how different your life might have been, had you, in a particular instance in your past,  made a decision instead of the one you made; a life altering decision that would change the course of your life forever?  Blake Crouch's Dark Matter deals with the same premise with the different outcomes of differing decisions spread over the multiverse, which is branching and expanding with every decision.

Jason Dessen, a blooming scientist in his 20's, gives up his research and ambition to settle a family with the woman he loved. Now, working as a physics teacher at a highschool, he seldom wonders what he gave up, as he is happy with the decision he made to settle with his wife. 

One night, while returning from a local bar, he is attacked, taken hostage and then drugged. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a lab where everybody seems to know him but he doesn't recall meeting or knowing anyone. To clear his mind, he runs away from the lab and finds that everything, his house, his local bar,his surroundings is different. This makes him wonder whether he is hallucinating, was this all the effect of the drug he was injected with when he was attacked?

"And you are not you - you have no body, no blood, no bones, you are but a thought."

Stating any more of the plot would ruin the book for the reader. Dark Matter in all is a fast paced novel without the "Stephen King 1000 page description" (loved Misery, The Shining but too long). The fast paced story telling of Blake Crouch makes it an amazing read that you do not need to invest a lot of time into and the plot makes sure that whatever time you do invest does not feel like wasted.

"I don't even have to think.

I simply write the words:

I want to go home."

The comparatively short novel Dark Matter complemented by the gripping plot are reasons good enough to give time to this book, even for the most casual readers. If you have read Recursion by Blake Crouch you will notice that while Recursion deals with redoing the past, Dark Matter is about living your life based on the choices you make. I would suggest to give this book a few hours of your time and enjoy this enthralling read.