Wow. This is deep. Beautifully written. Powerful. Gripping. I've read this author before and enjoyed the book, the only one I had read by him. It was called We Begin at the End. Highly recommend. This one too, is one I can recommend but it's long and often boring in spots.
STORY SUMMARY
It is 1975 in America. And things are changing. Ford is President; the Vietnam War is ending, and clothing styles are changing yet again.
And in Missouri, specifically a small town named Monta Clare, girls are disappearing.
Misty Meyer is the only child of a very wealthy couple in town and she is targeted by a large man in a van. But a very unlikely hero comes along....a poor boy named Patch, who is the only son of a single mom who is an alcoholic....Patch has one eye and wears a patch over the spot where his other one should be. Thus his nickname. He also likes to pretend he is a pirate. He saves Misty. But..then he disappears.....and that whole town is changed because of it. He leaves much heartache all around him. But then.....he's back....thanks to his best friend....a girl named Saint, who is being raised by her grandmother Norma. But Patch is changed. And life is not the same...........
All of the people Patch loves....and Patch himself....discover that there's a fine line between tragedy and triumph. In their search for answers they will be led to truths that could mean losing one another.
MY THOUGHTS
This is a powerful look at many different aspects of relationships. This story is part mystery (missing girls), a serial killer thriller, a type of love story and each part all has a unique twist.
This book is about hope. It's about loss. It's about betrayals. It's about obsessions.
The characters are so well developed I felt like I wanted Patch, Saint, Norma and Nix to be real. And Sammy......the humor in the story, is the character Sammy. He's much loved.
There's a pervading sense of hopelessness in this book but yet at the same time, there's a pervading sense of hope and persistence. The characters as teens are a tad bit unbelievable because they defy odds and perform deeds that seem to be more of an older person's accomplishment vs a teenager's. In other words.....a tad bit far fetched. But endearing at the same time.
The bonds of friendship are elemental in this story. It spans several decades: from 1975-2001. The book is divided into Parts and each part has a title.
Some themes in this story are: friendship, kidnapping, death, domestic violence/abuse; unwanted pregnancy/abortion; single parenthood; class distinctions; love, secrets, theft, betrayal, divorce, suicide, alcoholism, cancer.
Sadly, there is a lot of swearing in this story and a lot of editing errors.
The story overall is powerful. A good look at good vs evil and how love, friendship, and perseverance overcomes all.
A favorite quote from the book:
"to love and be loved was more than could ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes" (pg 570, All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, c. 2024)
I didn't like the abrupt twists at the end and some of the narratives throughout the entire book seem to go on forever. It's a beautiful story but it feels too long.....much redundancy regarding Patch and his search for Grace. I much preferred his book from 2020 that I mention above.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 7.
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