All the Colors of the Dark

 

All the Colors of the Dark 

By Chris Whitaker

I’ve been reading a lot...however, clearly not writing about it.  I’ve read some best sellers, some random books from authors I like, some Goodwill finds that have a pretty cover, some self-help and some cheesy-easy reads to just turn some pages…. just to keep reading. 

I know this is supposed to be a book review…and I’ll get to it…however, I’ll start this by telling you there is a line in the book that has stuck with me and in a way…changed me. 

He did not know darkness could be so beautiful…

I woke up in the middle of the night about three months ago.  In pure darkness…lying in bed…everything was quiet and still.  I didn’t feel scared, but I felt profoundly sad.  I felt angry at myself for how I had been living…or not living.  Accepting things, I didn’t want to accept any longer. 

I thought about my mom. 

My mom is very religious and prays a lot.  I’ve always been curious about her strong faith but had never asked.  I found out she has a list of names of people she prays for every single day.  It is part of her morning routine.  I called her a month or so before this late-night awakening and I said, mom, what do you pray for?  Is it the same prayer every time?  May I give you something specific to pray for me about? 

She gave me a very long answer.

Ultimately, she said I could ask her to pray for something specific but that she prayed every day that I would find a faith like she has.  She hopes that I will turn over my worries and walk toward faith with a profound sense of purpose and know that I am capable and strong. 

Melissa, put your trust in the Lord. 

I was lying there thinking of her and that conversation.  I got out of bed, and I literally got on my knees with my hands propped up on my bed and prayed like I did when I was a little girl. 

My prayer was kind of simple…I thought.  That I would open my mind and heart for a change.  I prayed about not really knowing what I wanted or what to dream for except I wanted change. 

One day…about a month after that prayer…I got an opportunity that came out of the blue.  It all happened quickly.  In a nutshell, I said yes to relocating and starting something new.  Was it the prayer that moved me towards this?  I don’t know…we can all believe what we want.  I didn’t think that the sleepless dark night I prayed…would turn into something so beautiful. 

What about All the Colors of the Dark?  How was his interpretation of the darkness he experienced so beautiful? 

This book is 608 pages…I don’t shy away from these long reads but have never turned the last page and felt it needed to be that long.   Overall, it is more of a character study than plot driven.  It’s about connection, the ties that bind us to our families, our friends, our past…a missing-person crime novel but also a love story, a coming-of-age tale and a meditation on the nature of memory and loss.

A quick synopsis…boy (Patch) saves girl (Misty) from a serial killer. Boy is caught and during his capture, cared for in the dark by a mysterious girl (Grace) until his best friend (Saint) saves him. Misty becomes his girlfriend although he doesn’t really love her and is obsessed with Grace. Saint loves him…has always loved him and becomes a cop so that she can look for Grace and the serial killer.

There…I’ve saved you from 607 pages.

No, seriously, what follows is 30 years of searching, discovering, hoping, praying, guilt, love, anger, despair, and just living.

A story about fate. It's also a story about this beautiful and heartbreaking thing called life.  I’ve always wondered why people feel ordinary…or that they feel like they live an ordinary life.  I’m not so sure ordinary isn’t really your own version of extraordinary.

At times, this was a dark and gritty look at how trauma shapes lives, how hope endures, how friendship changes, how love remains present, and how the search for the truth often leads the seeker down dark paths.

We could also talk about how the ripple effects of trauma and the various ways people cope with loss and fear. Patch’s evolution from a bullied kid to a celebrated artist underscores the theme of transformation, while Saint’s law enforcement career highlights the moral complexities of seeking justice and love.

Some lives move forward; others remain rooted. A tragic event that cuts deep and fractures relationships. A tragedy that becomes all-consuming as a means of survival…for decades.

Finally…there is Grace…the kidnapped girl who keeps Patch alive in confinement and then seems to have disappeared upon his rescue that I can't even be sure she was ever real….

Perhaps, she was how his darkness could be so beautiful?