Review of ‘Dark Matter’ by Blake Crouch

Now this was a thriller and a half! It began like a crime novel, with a man abducted while walking home to his loving family. Then it turned into science fiction. However, the theme of the book is the impact of all the different choices we make in life and how love is at the core of everything that matters.

The fast pace, present tense, sharp sentences and sense of paranoia ensure that this book is a gripping thriller. It’s unusual though in its breaking out of the genre into something emotionally powerful yet mindbending in scope. The plot can’t be described much without spoiling it. I wasn’t expecting so many strange twists. The blurb barely gives an indication that this is not your average thriller. I think this novel is a great achievement. There’s some violence but it’s not gratuitous, by which I mean that it fits the themes. I liked the characters and also the setting, Chicago. Occasionally there were some weird choices of words – one that stands out is that someone ‘killed’ a bottle of water (i.e. drank it) – but in general it was very readable.

Recommended if you’re looking for a thriller with a difference.

First published in 2016.

16 thoughts on “Review of ‘Dark Matter’ by Blake Crouch”

    1. I enjoyed it more than I expected to! But then I wasn’t sure what to expect πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you! πŸ™‚
      Oh well, I hope you enjoy this one when you get around to it, I think you’ll like it.

  1. Great review! The book I just finished was a thriller with a twist too and I really liked it! I will look for this one too and read it… I fell like this October will be a very action packed month when it comes to books.

    1. Thanks! πŸ™‚
      I have read some great thrillers lately. I’m reading even more books than usual right now if such a thing is possible πŸ˜‰

  2. crap. why do you keep adding on to my tbr, NS!!! Great review! ‘killed’ a bottle of water sounds so american! haha just my opinion πŸ™‚

    1. Sincere apologies, Jee πŸ˜‰
      I think you would probably like this one though… only one more book on your TBR?
      I don’t think I have really heard people saying they ‘killed’ in that way!

  3. THAT COVER IS AWESOMEEE!! 😍😍😍❀️😱😱 And I LOOVEE THRILLLERS! Get the heart pumping GOOODDDD!! I will definitely check it out! And I agree, not much to write about the plot without giving away key elements and still you did a great job reviewing it! ❀️❀️

    1. It’s a great cover isn’t it? I love thrillers too but I try not to read too many of them, give my heart a break from the adrenalin πŸ˜‰
      It’s hard to write about the plots sometimes, I try my best not to do spoilers πŸ˜‰

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