Dark Matter by Blake Crouch -- Restarting August 5th 2024

[Maria]

"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.

From the author of the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy, 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. 

Join Twila and me read this Sci Fi /Mystery in March! :)

[T.J.]

I added this to the group calendar. I'm still preparing my have-to-read-in-march schedule, but I hope I can join you! :D

[Maria]

TJ wrote: "I added this to the group calendar. I'm still preparing my have-to-read-in-march schedule, but I hope I can join you! :D"

Yay! Please do :D

[Twila]

I hope you can join us too TJ. I can't wait :D

[Tayane]

Starting!

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[I don't usually like long chapters, but I was so captive by it that I didn't care. Everything that happened so far is a bit weird, but I'm really curious about how this story will go, and how this "alternative universe" thing will work. And why is Jason so special. (hide spoiler)]

[Tayane]

Chapter 2
(view spoiler)[Ok, I'm really confused about what is happening, but sooo curious to figure it all out. I mean, what is the reality? Was living on alternative universes some kind of experiment he was doing, but something went wrong and now his mind is stuck in a fake life? (hide spoiler)]
I really need to get some sleep now, but can't wait to keep reading it in the morning.

[Tayane]

Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[First I thought there was something odd about Daniela, but OMG WHY DID THAT MAN KILLED HER?? And why are they chasing Jason like this?? That chapter that shows him coming back home just made me more confused about the story. I'm really enjoying it so far, just hope it doesn't disappoint me at the end. (hide spoiler)]

[Tayane]

Chapter 6
(view spoiler)[Okay, so there's the multiverse thing. Maybe the version of Jason at home right now is the one that chose the path of the research, and somehow he switched places with the one who sould be with his family?
I'm loving to build up theories about this story!! (hide spoiler)]

[Tayane]

Chapter 7
(view spoiler)[I was really thinking the guy with the geisha mask was the other version of him!!
I don't know of I trust Amanda. Let's see what happens. (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

I'll be starting later today :)

[Maria]

Tayane wrote: "Starting!

Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]" I agree it was long. But intriguing right?

(view spoiler)[ wow. Did he REALLY need to kidnap him and all? The casual talk was a but weird afterwards. I wonder who the guy is. What's the syringe for? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

I'm also really liking Jason so far. He seems such a genuinely nice and loyal person.

[Twila]

Maria wrote: "Tayane wrote: "Starting!

Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]" I agree it was long. But intriguing right?

[spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[Geisha mask guy seems pretty ruthless doesn't he? So freaky. (hide spoiler)]

I like Jason too. He's just a normal guy, but he's great :)

[Twila]

I just finished chapter two. This is a reread for me and there are things I really want to talk about but can't yet cause they're too spoilery!
(view spoiler)[I think that Jason maybe should have told them the truth. For reasons I can't say yet, I don't think they would have hurt him. I think I would have told them. I mean, he's completely innocent here right? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Twila wrote: "Maria wrote: "Tayane wrote: "Starting!

Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]" I agree it was long. But intriguing right?

[spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]

I like Jason too. He's just a normal guy, ..."
(view spoiler)[ the masked guy was pretty extreme (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Twila wrote: "I just finished chapter two. This is a reread for me and there are things I really want to talk about but can't yet cause they're too spoilery!
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I don't even get what's going on. Leighton is giving off weird vibes. The people know him even though he's just popped up out of nowhere? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

And well I hope (view spoiler)[ they don't come back chasing after him. (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

Things become a lot clearer (and at the same time a little more bizarre) in chapter 4 Maria :)

[Haley]

I'm gonna join this! Hopefully tomorrow

[Tayane]

Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[So many things happened but I'm still wondering what was that version of him covered in blood running inside the box. That was creepy! (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ ooh, telling Daniela and Ryan was risky (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[ oh, oh! the dreams are actually like a continuation of his previous reality. Like his life would've been if he'd survived teh abduction and went back home! (hide spoiler)]

[Tayane]

Finished!
(view spoiler)[These last few chapters were really crazy with all those Jasons trying to reunite with his family. It's so weird to think he left all those "pieces" of him behind after visiting each world. And then they started to try to kill each other!!!
I'm still thinking about what I think of the ending, but as the rest of the book it's really intriguing. I wonder how their lives will be from now on, if they'll ever find a world good enough for them to live. (hide spoiler)]
I want to discuss it with you guys after you finish, if you're interested. I want to know your thoughts about all this.

[Maria]

Sure Tayane :) will let you guys know my thoughts when I finish

[Twila]

Maria wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]

Chapter 6 [spoilers removed]"

Maria, what dreams do you mean? I don't remember anything about dreams. Did I miss something ?_?

[Maria]

Twila wrote: "Maria wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]

Chapter 6 [spoilers removed]"

Maria, what dreams do you mean? I don't remember anything about dreams. Did I miss something ?_?"

(view spoiler)[ you know, the ones in which he returns home and it's like the abduction did happen but he survived it and went back home safe. And in another one they go for an outing.
Ok, I checked now. Chapter 4 and 6 (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

Maria, those aren't dreams O_O

[Maria]

But she was waking him up after that! That nurse.

[Maria]

Ok I guess it'll make sense eventually

[Twila]

It will. I don't want to spoil anything :)

[Maria]

Did you finish re reading it?

[Twila]

Yeah, I finished yesterday. I'll post my thoughts sometime tomorrow. I've been too lazy to do that so far xD
You can keep reading it as fast or slow as you like. I'll still be here.

[Maria]

I'm just starting chapter nine and (view spoiler)[ ohhhhhh! Those weren't dreams it was the other Jason who's now with Daniela and Charlie! I am so dumb >_< oh my God.

And I hope our Jason and Amanda find their way back home soon <3 (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ " . . . with one last kiss" well I hope it really is his last! The other Jason’s, I mean. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Through chapter 10 (view spoiler)[ since Amanda doesn't have a home now, is she going to go with Jason to his world? Or is she gonna start a life in this utopia of hers? (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

Maria wrote: "Through chapter 10 [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I feel bad that Amanda got dragged into all of this. It's nice though for Jason to have someone with him through his crazy journey. I would go crazy if I was alone, I think. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Twila wrote: "Maria wrote: "Through chapter 10 [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Me too :o this is horrifying enough, as is

[Maria]

Also, (view spoiler)[ why do you reckon do they emerged in the apocalyptic world when Jason wrote he wanted to go home? (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

The answer to that is a spoiler, so you'll just have to wait and see! xD
The explanation isn't far away, I think. Just two worlds away.

[Maria]

Figured as much :p

[Maria]

Tayane wrote: "Chapter 10
[spoilers removed]"

Oh yes, I'm wondering that too!

[Maria]

Tayane wrote: "Finished!
(view spoiler)[ These last few chapters were really crazy with all those Jasons trying to reunite with his family. It's so weird to think he left all those "pieces" of him behind after visiting each wor..." (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[There was so much going on! But we see that even if they all were 99.9% identical, they still had different identities a little bit after what each of them went through during that month.

And wasn't the group chat of Jasons just plain crazy?! (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

Now that everyone's finished
(view spoiler)[Since there are that many Jasons created after he went into the box, doesn't it make sense that there would pretty much be an equal amount of Danielas created after Jason left?

Like, after the Jasons were swapped, wouldn't a infinite number of universes be created from her? If all these Jasons were the exact same man until the box, wouldn't there be many Danielas that were the exact same woman that Jason was taken away from too? Does that make sense?

So I don't get why all the Jasons would converge in that one universe. Wouldn't all the universes even out? Like shouldn't the Jasons be spread out evenly? Maybe one universe gets 3 - 5 Jasons, but not 100!

Just my thoughts. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Twila wrote: "Now that everyone's finished
Since there are that many Jasons created after he went into the box, doesn't it make sense that there would pretty much be an equal amount of Danielas created after Jas..."

(view spoiler)[ well as far as I can understand it, those many Jasons were created by our Jason each time he stepped into a different world. So since Daniela's left her world to go into the other one (which she isn't planning to leave) she couldn't just leave a part of her behind because she is there, staying. (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

That's not what I really meant.
(view spoiler)[I'm saying that there should be many universes our Jason could have gone to where he would find his exact Daniela.
In the universe our Jason found, Daniela knew that the Jason she was with was different, but she accepted it and sorta liked it. Maybe there was another universe where Daniela confronted Jason2 about being different and maybe found out that he was an imposter. They are both the exact Daniela Jason left, they only made different choices until after he left her. Just like all these Jasons did. If at our every choice, a new universe is created, Daniela being presented with choices in her life after Jason was swapped would create new universes where she would be the same woman up until that choice.

Jason described finding his universe as finding one grain of sand in an infinte beach, but I don't get that. There should be many grains of sand with his exact Daniela.

I've read a lot about the multiverse, so this just bothers me a little bit :) (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

One more thing. This time about the box.
(view spoiler)[Shouldn't the box onlyexist in world where Jason actually built it? How could Jason2 take our Jason to the spot in Chicago where he built it, take a drug, and suddenly find themselves in the box?
How could the box exist in that snow world, the apacolypse world and others? They shouldn't physically be there, IMO.
Did the box Jason2 build somehow physically connect to every single universe? Can anyone going to that specific location connect them to that box? I'm confused about this. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

(view spoiler)[ wait, Jason was the same in almost all of them? Didn't he have different jobs, etc.? If not, then that's weird. It looks like everything changed except himself - like their surroundings, Daniela, whether they had a son or not. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

(view spoiler)[ Maybe the box was programmed to move with its passengers? Like if they landed in a world and the box disappeared right after, that would be very inconvenient (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

I give up with the science.
(view spoiler)[What do you think about what happened with Amanda? I liked how her story abruptly ended. But don't you think there's also going to be tons of Amandas running around as well? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

(view spoiler)[ yep. Possible. I liked how she finally chose a random path and set off on her own. Leaving a world behind and settling into a new one. That's such a terrifying thought to me she must be so brave -or just curious.

I was thinking, do the universes solely depend on the choices? Because the universes are infinite due to infinite amount of possibilities, and are those possibilities always by choice? Like maybe sometimes it's not about choice but random factors? As every random possibility has to play out (hide spoiler)]

[Twila]

(view spoiler)[Maybe they don't solely depend on choices. Like the universe of snow. How could our choices cause a world to freeze over? (hide spoiler)]
It's just soooo complex, I dunno.

(view spoiler)[I think it was a lot of bravery on Amanda's part. To go off on my own like that would scare me.
Something else I've been thinking about is how our Jason [I'm going to start to call him Jason9] was so determined. I thought he was incredible. He could have easily just given up. Remember that universe where he called another Daniela on the phone? Maybe he could have just taken that life. Maybe he could have just started over somewhere else. But no. He wouldn't stop until he got his life and his Daniela back.
I love it. (hide spoiler)]