by Blake Crouch
472 pages
(The paperback version I got from Amazon is 472 pages, but there is another printing that is much shorter -- like 130 pages shorter.)
Okay, so I have actually had this book on my radar for about a year and a half, I just hadn't gotten to it. My book club chose this book for January, so it was the perfect excuse to read it now -- I just hoped I could fit it unto the list, and I did!
This book is described as, "A mind-blowing sci-fi/suspense/love story mash-up." Haha. I know, that sounds crazy, but it was really good.
The book begins with physics professor, Jason, and his family (wife Daniela, son Charlie) preparing for their family night. Daniela convinces Jason to go have a drink with his old college roommate, Ryan, to celebrate an award Ryan has just won. Jason goes to the bar promising to return (with ice cream!) after just one drink - in time for dinner. In an attempt to stay true to his word, he shares a drink, picks up ice cream, and heads home.
That's when things go wrong. Jason is kidnapped by a masked man. Held at gunpoint, he is forced to drive to an abandoned warehouse where he is drugged, stripped of his clothes, and left behind. The masked man escaping without a trace. When Jason wakes up, he is in a lab and everyone is surprised by his return. Jason is extremely confused because people say things like, "Where have you been for the last 14 months?" Jason manages to escape, but when he makes his way back home, his confusion gets worse. The key to his home still works, but nothing else is the same. His family is gone, the furniture is all different, the paintings on the walls are all wrong, nothing is how it was just hours ago.
I don't really want to give away too much because I really want to recommend this book to a lot of people. Haha. I will tell you that it deals with the idea of a multiverse, but in terms that are easy to understand. A lot of times, sci-fi books get too weird for me. Or too complex. Or too unbelievable. This one wasn't any of those things. It really is presented in a way that makes sense, and the love story at the backbone is the perfect addition. Even with the long chapters (like 40-50 pages), I sped right through this book.
You might remember me saying that a lot of books like this, and other thriller, sci-fi, detective type books, I like in movie form. Sometimes the plots get so intricate that I get distracted reading them. While this one isn't so complicated, I still would really like to see it on the big screen.
4.5 Stars