Perhaps my most anticipated book of 2024, after We Begin At The End was my runaway Best Book of 2021, I had high expectations for the newest from author Chris Whitaker. It did not disappoint.
The novel opens in 1975, in a small Missouri town. We're introduced to Joseph "Patch" Macauley, a 13-year-old boy who fancies himself a pirate, due to his being born with just one eye, an idea introduced and encouraged by his mother as a way to stave off some of the inevitable bullying he faced growing up. He has a singular best friend, a girl his age named Saint Brown, big glasses, big brain, awkward yet plain beyond notice, who lives alone with her grandmother. The two outcasts find refuge in each other's friendship and comfort in a world in which both feel lost more often than not.
Patch is walking alone to school one day when he hears a scream from the woods. Without hesitating, he sprints to the source to find a balaclava-clad man in a struggle with Misty Meyer, his classmate and, not to mention, the most beautiful girl in school. Like any good pirate, Patch carries a dagger on his person at all times, and springs to Misty's defense. But a 13-year-old is no match for a fully grown man, and while Misty is able to run to safety, Patch is stabbed with his own dagger before being abducted.
The police search the scene, and after the inevitable flurry of small town activity in support of the search, the clues dry up as the search turns up empty. They find Patch's blood and his eyepatch, but no body is ever found and the likely reality beings to set in. Other priorities take precedence for the police, but not for Saint. She knows that Patch is still out there somewhere, that she'd feel it in her core if he wasn't, and she never gives up trying to find him.
Because the abduction happens in the first few pages of the book, Whitaker builds the foundation of Saint's and Patch's friendship through memories and flashbacks. Like he did in We Begin at the End, he creates endearing characters on the cusp of early adulthood who have dealt with more than most their age, but who still retain some of the innocence of childhood. I'll share one passage from the very beginning of their friendship, which has all of the sweetness and humor that will make you love these two. Background for the scene: Saint sent invitations to the girls in her class, offering to show them her beehives (she's a burgeoning beekeeper and honey farmer); Patch intercepted an invitation and crudely replaced the recipient's name with his own. He arrives at the gate to her yard, and the following exchange takes place:
"I'm here about the honey," he said, and stared past her as if he were seeking out a jar for himself.
"Oh."
"I received this invitation, which I believe is good for a sample, and perhaps a tour of the facility."
He was clearly an imbecile.
He noticed the hive and let out a long whistle. "Manuka, right?"
"Manuka honey is produced in Australia and New Zealand."
He closed his solitary eye and nodded, as if he were testing her.
His arms were more bone than flesh, and his hair long. He smelled faintly of mud and candy and carried grazes across his knuckles like he'd been pulled from a fight, and he wore a leather belt looped twice at the waist, and in it was tucked a wooden cutlass.
She might have told him to leave, but then he smiled. And it was the first time another kid had smiled her way since she had arrived in Monta Clare. And it was a good smile. Dimples. Neat teeth.
"I've heard it's the finest honey this side of..."
"I worked a whole six months on the hive," she said. Though clearly afflicted, he was the first kid to show real interest, and so she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the Langstroth, took her moment and shone, dazzling him with bee facts he quickly claimed to already be aware of. Sometimes he chimed in with absolute nonsense.
"And these are pure bees?" he said.
She pretended not to hear.
When they came to the honey house, his eye widened at the shelves. Two dozen jars, some glowed golden.
She handed him one, told him to wait as she headed into the kitchen to fetch a spoon, some crackers, a stack of napkins, and her honey apron.
Saint returned to find him sitting beneath a butterfly bush, the jar half-empty and his hand caked in honey.
She marched toward him, placed her hands on her small hips and glowered.
He looked up at her as honey ran from his chin. "Tell you what, I'd say this is the sweetest thing I ever saw...and then I saw you, Becky."
"Who the hell is Becky?"
He scratched his head, leaving a deposit of honey at his hairline. Then he reached for the invitation.
"Becky Thomas is the girl that invite was meant for," she said.
"Well...then who put my name on it? Maybe fate intervened. Cupid aimed his bow." Patch made an O with the forefinger and thumb of his left hand, before penetrating it with the index finger of his right.
"What was that?" Saint said.
"I see the older kids doing it. I believe it's Cupid's arrow sticking right into my heart."
There are definitely some similarities to We Begin at the End -- "Patch the pirate" vs. "Duchess the outlaw"; deep friendship among childhood outsiders with Patch and Saint, just like we saw with Duchess and Thomas Noble; a mother who struggles with her own demons and thereby can't fully care for her son in Patch's mother Ivy, just like we saw with Duchess's mother Star; a kindhearted police chief who goes out of his way to help these kids in Chief Nix, just like Walk -- as you can see, it felt more than a little derivative initially (which wouldn't necessarily have been the worst thing). But while some of the archetypical characters are redundant, the plot and personalities deviate quite a bit, This is a novel that explores an entirely new space, and does so in a brilliant way.
The novel is sprawling, spanning 1975 to 2001, and it tackles a ton of difficult topics, including child abduction and abuse, rape, and abortion rights, to name a few. It's a heavier read because of those topics, but Whitaker still sprinkles in levity throughout (as evidenced by the passage above), a critical element in helping the reader get through the weightiest of parts of the book. We Begin at the End was a wall-to-wall high-5-star book for me; this one dipped a hair lower at times, mostly because of the challenging subject matter.
I was a bit concerned at one point about where the plot was going; however, the final coda pulls everything together beautifully. There are a series of coincidences that are just this side of believable, but it all totally worked for me, and those rocketed the novel to a wholly satisfying conclusion. Bravo to Chris Whitaker for once again creating characters I'll remember forever and claiming an early spot atop my Books of the Year list. He has crafted a well-plotted novel that tackles a number of difficult topics, but from the darkness emerges a story that is ultimately uplifting, even if the path to get there is difficult. Very highly recommended.
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The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
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Reviews with images
EPIC! Top Books of 2024.
Top Books of 2024!From the New York Times, bestselling author Chris Whitaker of We Begin at the End comes a hauntingly beautiful, captivating literary suspense mystery, coming-of-age crime thriller, serial killer whodunit, and emotional character study blended with the power of art, storytelling, and a heart-rending love story spanning decades.This EPIC masterful saga, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, explores the traumas and abuse of the past and how they affect and change the trajectory of lives forever, good and bad, for a lifetime.A story of an innocent thirteen-year-old pirate and a beekeeper that will save his life. They cross paths with a serial killer that will change their lives forever.About...It is 1975 in Monta Clare, Missouri. We meet two best friends and classmates, Patch Macauley (miner), a one-eyed teen (who considers himself a pirate), and his best friend, Saint Brown, an orphan (beemaker), who lives with her grandmother.They both have plans and dreams, and they want to escape their current lives. However, some local girls mysteriously disappear from the town.When a predator assaults Misty Meyer in the woods, the only daughter of a wealthy family, Patch turns into an unlikely hero and saves her; however, he is kidnapped instead. Was he the first boy kidnapped with the girls?Saint is devastated and vows to find Patch. There is a monster. A predator. A serial killer on the loose.Patch finds himself in the darkness of a cellar, where a mysterious girl, Grace, visits him (heard, not seen). There are also other girls in the cellar. Grace, however, paints vivid pictures of places and literary stories and whispers to Patch. He has no idea where he is. Is she real, or is he imagining her?He eventually escapes; however, he is haunted by this girl, Grace, and spends his entire life searching for her. Saint and Patch reunite, but they are both irrevocably changed.Saint's life is also affected by the tragedy, and she is now in law enforcement with the FBI vowing to help Patch and find the killer. Her life is complex and complicated with her relationship with Jimmy, who is obsessive, jealous, and abusive.The suspects are a doctor and a photographer. What is the motive, and why can't anyone find the killer, Grace, plus the others? Some think Patch dreamed of this girl. Is she real.?Patch is obsessed with finding these missing girls and Grace and the horrors he had conjured, turning to rob banks to give the money to organizations to fund the search for the missing girls and children to help families from state to state, and prison. He lost so much.He ultimately turns to painting to express his fears and trauma through art and to capture what he remembers. He became successful, and his work is in top galleries. Other complications in his life and people add to the intrigue.However, Patch and Saint will never forget one another.My thoughts...ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is spellbinding!Chilling, tender, brutal, and exquisite, it has emotional depth and evocative prose full of heart, humor, and soul. Many dark characters and monsters hide behind a facade with secrets that will destroy families and lives. This coming-of-age story portrays the innocence and guilt of children forced to make difficult adult decisions and grow up before their time. From boy to man, girl to woman, they had lost more than they could ever count. Can they move on?Atmospheric and claustrophobic, the author brilliantly captures the small rural town setting and its characters from the first page to the last and never lets go with his stunning lyrical prose, which is elegant, haunting, and memorable.ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is much more than a thriller. If you love literary suspense as much as I do, you will devour Whitaker's latest. Patch and Saint are such powerful, compelling characters, as is the supporting cast. Gut-wrenching, it is a story of loss, trauma, loyalty, love, and hope.Whitaker has survived his share of trials, abuse, and tragedy and fell into darkness with drugs and alcohol; however, through his tragedies, he became a survivor and a successful writer to express his feelings, much like Patch with his art. I also love Whitaker's background working around books, his literary passion, the library, and his inspiration, Author John Hart (from attorney to author). I also like how he writes his books set in the US.I am returning to read Whitaker's previous books, which I missed. He has been added to my favorite author list. I highly recommend ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK.Recs...For fans of the author and John Hart's (fav author) The Last Child and Dennis Lehane's Mystic River as well as authors Cormac McCarthy, William Falkner, Pat Conroy, Michael Robotham, David Baldacci, David Joy, Robert Dugoni, and Ron Rash.I also pre-ordered the audiobook, which is narrated by my favorite, Edoardo Ballerini.#JDCMustReadBooks
