All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker Book Review

Book Title: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Author: Chris Whitaker
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Year of Publication: 2024
Date of Publication: June 25, 2024
Pages: 608
ISBN-10: 0593798872
ISBN-13: 978-0593798874

Summary of All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

All the Colors of the Dark is set in a small Missouri town in 1975. The story begins with 13 year old Joseph Macauley, who everyone calls Patch. He earned this nickname because he had been born with only one eye and as a result, he wore an eye patch.

One day, Patch noticed that a girl named Misty Meyer was in trouble and looked as though she was about to be kidnapped. He intervened, allowing Misty to escape but then he disappeared. His attempt to save Misty’s life and his subsequent disappearance, sets off a sequence of events that unearth buried truths.

We learn how Patch and a girl named Saint met, how their friendship started and the effects Patch’s disappearance would have on both their lives, and Saint’s refusal to give up on Patch.

Main Plot & Characters

The story follows the aftermath of the sudden disappearance of a group of local girls, an event that sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community.

Main Characters

• Joseph “Patch” Macauley: A boy who is driven by a need to protect those he loves.
• Saint: A girl with a tragic past. She forms a bond with Patch. Raised by her grandmother, she becomes one of the story’s emotional anchors.
• Norma: Saint’s grandmother. A no-nonsense, cigar-smoking, religious woman who drives a bus and helps raise Saint. She represents stability and wisdom in the chaos of Saint’s world.
• Misty Meyer: The beautiful, privileged girl from Monta Clare who becomes the target of a serial killer. Her fate is closely tied to Patch’s, and her experience leaves a lasting mark.
• Callie Montrose: A girl who is kidnapped. Her disappearance haunts the community and drives much of the action.

Supporting Characters

• Ivy Macauley: Patch’s mother, who struggles to care for him in a town filled with judgment. When Patch went missing she completely lost it and became a shell of herself.
• Dr. Marty Tooms: The local physician in Monta Clare.
• Chief Nix: He was the police chief.
• Sammy: The owner of Monta Clare Fine Art, where the paintings Patch would create would be displayed.

Writing Style

Chris Whitaker writes the book from multiple perspective. We follow Saint’s point of view as well as Patch’s. The author’s writing and descriptions brings the characters to life. For example, the way he describes Norma, you can clearly visualize this character. But even more detailed than his character descriptions is the way he explains the settings.

"Inside the light was red and low. The corners of the room were lost to shadows, a maze of tables and machinery and the low whine of a generator. The smell burned the back of her throat. She knew she was in trouble then. Not the kind a kid finds themselves in, the kind teachers yell at, the kind her grandmother could forgive. This was the kind of trouble she read about in newspapers and saw on news bulletins. The kind of trouble that no one recovers from."

Even though there is a lot of reflection in the book, the pacing of the book is still relatively fast. You are waiting for something to happen and you are not quite sure what.

Favorite Quotes

• “He was clearly an imbecile.”— Saint
• “My grandmother says some people are born to make others work harder.”— Saint
• “Best education you can get,” he said. “See through someone else’s eyes and you understand more of everything.”— Eli Aaron
• “At ten years old he realized that people were born whole, and that the bad things peeled layers from the person you once were… At thirteen he knew those layers could sometimes be rebuilt when people loved you. When you loved.”— Narration about Patch
• “People talk about falling in love like a fall is ever a good thing.”— Patch
• “When it comes to marriage, love is merely a visitor over a lifetime. Respect and kindness, they are the true foundations.”— Norma

Impact of All the Colors of the Dark

Upon its release, the novel received critical acclaim for its compelling storytelling and complex character development.

Have you read this book? Which part stood out to you?