Structure

As a nonfiction book about physics, there is no plot and there is no problem for the lead character to work out. The problem, or challenge, is not just for Lisa Randal but for many other physicists. All would like to know more about dark matter, and Randall partners with a number of brilliant scientists as she explores the subject. The structure of the book is episodic, as it moves from one aspect of the topic to another. Randall does a good job of fleshing out her story with living people who play an active part in her research. The reader gets a glimpse of Randall's personality through little anecdotes—such as nursing an ankle injury from a skiing accident. The biggest message of the book—that dark matter is capable of throwing comets and asteroids at earth— is merely hinted at early in the book. Later...