Review: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver |《Reread》

5 stars for Dark Matter by Michelle Paver |《Reread》.

The best moment to be in, is in-between books. Because the possibilities are endless. In truth, Dark Matter is not my choice read initially. Having read I'm Not Lazy, I'm on Energy Saving Mode by Dancing Snail, I was thinking of reading another non-fiction; yet while I was reading it, I kept thinking that perhaps I should be reading a horror instead, and my mind kept bringing me back to Michael Paver's Dark Matter. In the end, I decided to go with my heart instead. So, Dark Matter it is.

This is a story about a group of young gentlemen planning to overwinter in the wilderness, to study the High Arctic biology, geology and ice dynamics over the year. It is about the Arctic, the Midnight Sun, the Polar Night, the polar bears, seals and icebergs. But not quite.. it is also about fear; fear of the unknown, fear of what we cannot see or detect and the disquiet. The feeling of desolation, squalor and the group slowly fracturing under pressure is what makes it stay with you. It is not just horror. It is loneliness weaponized. Desperation. Oppression. You name it, we have it, in this book.

I always lament that once a book is read, we can never unread the book. Surprisingly, with Dark Matter, it feels different. Even though I remember this novel and its story developments, I am still able to enjoy the story on my second read. I think bulk of the reason is that during my first read, I am so anxious to find out what is going to happen next that I tend to read fast and overlook details. First read = sprinting through the fear - "What's in the hut? What's that sound? Is Jack going to be ok?!" With this second read, since I already know what is going to happen next, I can take my time to read and absorb all the finer details of the story. Second read = I already know the dread is coming, so I can actually sit in it. It certainly makes a big difference to the reading process and happiness quotient.

This is a book that gives so much more when read a second time. The Arctic descriptions, the silence, the way author Michelle Paver builds that slow creep of isolation and "something is wrong but I can't see it" - it all lands differently when I'm not racing to the next page. Since this is a reread for me, the details that hit me differently this time are the quiet moments, the journal entries and the feeling that the cold is getting into the words themselves.

I can still enjoy the story even knowing what happens. That’s the mark of a book with real atmosphere and detail, not just jump scares. I catch the foreshadowing, the little details in Jack’s narration, and the way the weather mirrors the mood.

All in all, a great story to be read and enjoyed again and again.


Publisher: Orion; First Edition edition
Publication date: 21 Oct 2010

*** Favourite Quote 1 ***

In one of my periodicals, there's a paper by someone who's worked out that what we know of the universe is only a tiny percentage of what actually exists. He says what's left can't be seen or detected, but it's there; he calls it 'dark matter'.

*** Favourite Quote 2 ***

If it can be described, it can be understood. If it can be understood, it need not be feared.

*** Favourite Quote 3 ***

Once, I thought fear of the dark was the oldest fear of all. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it's not the dark that people fear, but what comes in the dark. What exists in it.

~ Dark Matter
Michelle Paver

@}--->>--->>-----

January 1937.

Clouds of war are gathering over a fogbound London. Twenty-eight year old Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life.

So when he’s offered the chance to be the wireless operator on an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway: five men and eight huskies, crossing the Barents Sea by the light of the midnight sun. At last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year.

Gruhuken.

But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. He faces a stark choice. Stay or go. Soon he will see the last of the sun, as the polar night engulfs the camp in months of darkness. Soon he will reach the point of no return – when the sea will freeze, making escape impossible. And Gruhuken is not uninhabited. Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark.

*Blurb from author's website*

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