Review | Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Set in the 1930s, the story is told through the journal of the main character, Jack Miller. Jack is a poor, depressed man who hates his work in London and longs for a way out. When he hears about a research expedition to the Arctic, he applies for a position as a wireless operator. The other men in this team are educated, well-to-do and could not be more different from Jack. Their destination is Gruhuken, an isolated bay in Svalbard surrounded by water and ice.

As Jack and the team settle into the expedition, his relationship with his teammates improve. But misfortunes follow the team. As polar night approaches, they face endless nights with something else out there.

“And yet I think I now understand the impulse which drives men to shoot bears. It isn’t for the pelt or the meat or the sport – or not only those things. I think they need to do it. They need to kill that great Arctic totem to give them some sense of control over the wilderness – even if that is only an illusion.”

Atmospheric and tense, Dark Matter is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s night. The prose in this book is wonderful. I was immediately transported into the story from the vivid descriptions of the grime of London to the peace of Gruhuken. The slow buildup of shortening winter days leading to the loss of the sun made for a claustrophobic, oppressive tone.

While I’m generally ambivalent about the epistolary format in books, here it works. We get to delve deep into Jack’s mindset as he struggles to deal with his increasingly doomed situation. As a character, Jack starts out cold and bitter. Initially, he even dislikes the Huskies that accompany the group, though one of them ended up being his best companion (a very good dog!). But seeing his fears and understanding his feelings made me root for him.

There is also a hunger that permeates Jack’s life. It is clear from his desire for wealth, his longing for a better friendship with his teammate Gus, his need for a solution to the mystery of Gruhuken. It makes for a surprisingly touching story in the end.

About the author: Michelle Paver

Photo by Daniele Buso