#BlogTour Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski

 It really is a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Darke Matter by Rick Gekoski, which is an excellent read.

About the Author

Rick Gekoski came from his native America to do a PhD at Oxford, and went on to teach English at the University of Warwick. In 1982, sick of lecturing, he decided to become a full-time rare book dealer, specialising in important twentieth-century first editions and manuscripts. He lives in London and spends time each year in Paris and New Zealand. 

Follow @RGekoski on Twitter, Visit gekoski.com

About the book

James Darke is dreading the first family Christmas without his wife Suzy. Engulfed by grief, his grudging preparations are interrupted by a persistent knock at the door. Questions about the circumstances of his wife’s death force him to confront the outside world and what really happened to her.

Isolated, angry and diminished, James soon faces a crisis both legal and psychological. It will test his resolve and threaten his freedom. Darke Matter is a brilliant, mordant examination of the nature and obligations of love. Both immensely sad and extremely funny

Review

I absolutely adored this read. The style of writing, the voice, the premise and above all the main character. James Darke is true unto himself and others, as no other is. He is unwilling to sway even a little from his idea of what is right, and yet he will acquiesce now and again to the norm demanded by society.

The chapters with Rudy and his grandfather are a testament to the emotions Darke keeps close to his heart and never lets anyone see or experience. He is a man of many words and lets no one in. The death of his wife and his part in it, isn't something he is willing to expose to the gossip hungry world. Moving on and through the grief are a private endeavour until he is confronted with the legal ramifications of his actions.

I loved the way Gekoski created the fabric of the story by sewing a patterned quilt of poetry within the story. The readers imbibe the poetic and literary nuances almost in a secondary matter, because Darke is the kind of character who demands attention throughout the entirety of the book.

As if the above wasn't enough to intrigue, the premise itself is one I feel quite strongly about and think is one of the more important moral, ethical and medical issues of our time. Making the right to die a legal option for those who are suffering and want to end their existence on their own terms. Other countries have moved on from the dark ages, the majority of people in society support euthanasia, unfortunately the medical world still believes the individual is incapable of making such a definitive decision.

I can honestly say this author is one I will be returning to if this is an indication of the brilliance he is capable of. He walks that contentious line well, the line many authors are unable to balance successfully - the line between literary intellect and trying to outsmart readers with a sense of their own self importance and said intellect.

It's a wonderfully smart, insightful, moving and simultaneously dry and factual read with the kind of main character you can't help but adore just a tad - even when he is being a bit of an elitist snob and crotchety old man.

Buy Darke Matter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Constable pub date 14 May 2020 - hardback £16.99/eBook. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive.