Julie's Reviews > All the Colors of the Dark

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker is a 2024 Crown publication.

DNF – 32%. When I read Whittaker’s “We Begin at the End”, I struggled with the idea of young people dropping filthy language in front of adults with a shocking regularity. I mimicked my peers, giving the book a very positive review, focusing on the storytelling, as everyone else seemed to, but now I do remember being very conflicted about it.

Going back and re-reading my glowing review of that novel, I did mention my issues and the language, but I still gave it four stars. I wish now I’d been firmer as this novel also features very young people, in a time that is my era, one I remember well, and I certainly never heard of such behavior- dropping hardcore language, for its time, in front of adults in a rude, disrespectful way, no matter what their circumstances,( I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd said F-you to an adult- or anyone else for that matter, if overheard by an adult), and adults matching it by also using strong language in front young, impressionable, vulnerable teens... and treating them almost as peers at times.

But, this time, I’m not going to condone it, go along with it, etc., to keep from being the preachy outlier. It’s a shame I’m the only one who struggles with this aspect of the author’s writing style- which is not all THAT impressive. In fact, I don’t have a single regret about pulling the cord on this one….