Dark Matter is a chilling ghost story in the tradition of Victorian Ghost Stories. 

• Scare factor:★★☆☆☆
• Ghostly factor: ★★★★☆
• Psychological factor: ★★★★☆

Dark Matter is a traditional ghost story that takes place in an unconventional setting. While not set in an old house with creaking floorboards, all the elements of psychological conflict, the feeling of being haunted, isolation and disorientation all play a big role in this creepy tale. 

It consists of 252 pages.

Plot

It’s 1937 England. Jack Miller is a down-and-out 28-year-old who had to quit college. Then he is asked to go on an expedition to Spitsbergen to research the natural environment. He first is reluctant because of the class difference, but agrees to come along. He will act as the communication guy with a wireless radio. Leader of the expedition and biologist is Gus. Algie is the hunter of the group and brings along huskies. Hugo is the glaciologist and in charge of the finances and finally Teddy is the photographer and medic. Due to personal circumstances Teddy can’t make it and Hugo breaks his leg on the boat to Spitsbergen so he has to go to the hospital. 

Now it’s just the three of them who arrive at Gruhuken. But Jack has a feeling that they aren’t completely alone, he feels watched. While the days of complete darkness are coming closer, Gus becomes ill and Algie accompanies him to return to the main land. Jack stays behind with the dogs and the thing that lurks in the dark, always watching him. 

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Short Review

The story is written in the form of a journal written by Jack. We get to read his thoughts, his experiences from his own perspective which makes it an intimate read. Still he writes little about himself. He doesn’t elaborate on his own character, actions, or decisions very much, but that doesn’t mean he stays a shallow character. We get enough information to understand him and to feel close to him in the cold and dark. He is a likable character, friendly and he really cares for the dogs. He makes friends with some of the expedition members and we learn that he is a lonely man. 

That loneliness is exacerbated by the isolation of Gruhuken. De desolate landscape with only snow and ice and the sea alone is enough to create a sense of dread and an ominous feeling. That there’s something out there makes this feeling even more terrifying for Jack and to read as well. The time of the Interbellum plays an important role in the decisions Jack makes and it adds to the isolation while they didn’t had the communication means we have now. Also his close friendship to Gus, makes you wonder if there is more to it than just male friendship, although this does’t get elaborated either. 

The landscape is beautifully described. Although it’s only snow and ice and the sea, there’s a lot to enjoy of nature and these descriptions are wonderfull and help to understand why they choose to go on this particular expedition. It’s still and quiet and eventually nature can act as a ghost itself. 

But there’s a palpable ghost out there. Something of which Jack was aware of from the moment he set foot on the island. Slowly we come closer to this mystery although it remains unclear what Jack was dealing with. His situation gets more dire and he has to survive while caring for the dogs all on his own, while he was the only one without any experience. You can feel his predicament even more when he gets the opportunity to leave but has very understandable motivations to stay. 

The theme of the mystery is connected to Jack himself, his personal situation and what he is going through. Although he is an unreliable narrator and he might be seeing things in the snow, susceptible to hallucinations in the cold and dark and isolation, you tend to believe him. Also when he meets a trapper on the island who tells him the story of a trapper who was killed and his ghost still roams the area, the sightings become more believable. Although Jack doesn’t wish to believe it himself. 

In the end it’s a story about a man being broken down by the harshness of nature, of isolation, darkness and the cold. His mental state already was fragile, but slowly he is falling apart. That way it remains unclear if there really was a ghost or not, or if it was all in his head. A popular theme in Victorian ghost stories. 

Dark Matter is a psychological ghost story with an unreliable narrator and an interesting and beautiful environment that will give you chills.