Dark Matter Book Club Questions
Welcome to the Buddy Book Club – we have a light-hearted comedic podcast that covers a variety of books. Dark Matter is a a page-turning psychological thriller by Blake Crouch. If you like science fiction, multiple timelines, and a book that you’ll never guess what happens next, this one is for you.
We did a full breakdown of Dark Matter on our podcast episode. On the episode the Buddies pretty much become scientists as they delve into a number of topics ranging from Schrödinger’s Cat to the exact smell of a Whole Foods. They also manage to offend a number of professions including: artists, ER doctors, authors and actual scientists. So check it out if you’re interested.
Our book club questions try to be a little more outside the box/comedic than your typical book club questions – hopefully you enjoy them.
Book Club Questions – Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
-> Does the life Jason leave has many things restricting him? He’s rich, successful, famous, and could just date single Daniela and create new memories. Is it more a grass is always greener issue? Would you want to trade lives if you were Jason?
I wouldn’t want to be in a relationship and have kids without the actual memories of those things. That is what would be the best thing about being a husband and father.
-> Jason initially thinks this might be “an elaborate prank” after being held at gunpoint, stripped naked, beaten, injected with ketamine, and having his house redecorated. Would this be the most fucked up prank ever, or just a really intense episode of Punk’d?
Where’s Ashton Kutcher when you need him?
-> What do you think is the excuse Jason uses to be able to justify murdering himself in other timelines? We thought it was kind of like how you’ll sabatage your future self for something that makes you happy immediately. Like eating 5 slices of pizza and/or drinking 12 beers on Friday night, and hurting your Saturday self. Is this the same psychology that allows Jason to murder his other selves?
Only rational or you just think you’re in a simulation and nothing is real.
-> An overnight ER doctor goes through 50+ Chicago university websites looking through faculty pages to identify Jason. Is this doctor the real hero of the book, or does she need to focus on her actual job?
Maybe she needs to pick up a side gig as a private investigator.
-> Daniela loses all artistic inspiration when she has a kid, but becomes famous when childless with more time. Is the message from this book that if you’re an artist, don’t have kids?
Seems like to me that having a kid would inspire you to be a better artist and are artists really spending 12+ hours/day painting?
-> After Daniela cooks homemade chicken soup and bean stew, they have “fumbling, groping, back seat of the car, unprotected, because who gives a fuck, proton-smashing-together sex.” If putting pasta in water turns someone on, well we have the sex appeal of Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse. Rate your cooking on the proton-smashing scale.
Is this the least amount of work someone has had to do to turn someone on?
-> They visit a universe where everyone’s bleeding from eyes and the government shoots people in the streets. Did you get any COVID flashbacks from this? (We read this during Covid!) Too soon, or fair point?
The shutdown doesn’t look all that bad compared to this world.
-> Daniela wears swimming goggles to chop one onion. Is this unnecessary for someone who’s supposedly a good cook or just a way to show off her cool goggles?
I think she was just hamming it up, like wearing a “kiss the chef” apron.
-> What did you think of the ending with all the different Jasons showing up? Did the ending ruin the book for you, or was the lottery idea actually clever? How would you have ended it?
I’d probably just go to the most advanced society and chill there with my wife and kid.
-> Amanda risks everything to help Jason, then vanishes from the book entirely. Where did she go? Why didn’t Jason Two just go be with Amanda?
Did Blake Crouch just forget she existed or are we setting up another book.
-> If you’re Jason and you show up to a world that’s pretty much exactly the same but only a few small differences, what is the smallest difference in a world that you would be willing to accept?
This would probably be sports team related, like the Red Sox have never broken their curse and are still looking for a world series title. Or Tom Brady doesn’t exist in the world. Other than that I think I could be fine with most small changes.
-> What did you think of the TV show and the casting of the show?
We did a casting before the show was made, who did it better?
