All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

 

The abduction of a young boy from a small southern town results in a lifelong obsession when he suddenly returns. The boy is determined to find his fellow captive, a girl who helped him survive the ordeal, while his best friend is hellbent on finding his captor.

You would have had to be living in a cave not to have seen all the praise heaped on  All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker since it was first published in the summer of 2024. I've no idea why this has sat on my TBR pile for so long, possibly the length, more likely my recurring fear that it might be a bit too "literary" and require lots of concentration to read. As usual, with books like this, I decided it would be an ideal holiday read. I'm kicking myself that I worried about either; yes, there are almost 600 pages, but those are split into 261 chapters, and the writing draws you in.

The story covers a span of twenty-six years, opening in 1975 and introducing us to twelve-year-old Joseph 'Patch' Macauley and his best friend, Saint Brown. Both are considered outsiders in the small town of Monta Clare. Saint is being raised by her grandmother, Norma. Her intelligence and interests set her apart from other girls her age, and her friendship with Patch is looked at with distaste. Patch is also being raised in a household with a lone adult. Money is tight as his mother struggles with her mental health, leading to her regularly losing her job. The bigger problem, however, is that Patch was born with only one eye. As a result, he wears an eye-patch, hence the nickname.

As the story opens, I felt as if I was reading something akin to a boy's own adventure story, particularly when Patch stumbles across a school friend being assaulted in the woods. Leaping to her defense, Patch ends up being abducted. His abductor keeps him in a small, dark room. Occasionally, another abductee, Grace, spends time in the room. It is Grace's presence that gives Patch the willpower to survive, as she describes in vivid detail places she's visited and things she's done. 

When Patch finally manages to escape, he vows to find Grace, a vow that consumes his life for the next twenty-five years. At the same time, Saint is determined to find and bring to justice the man who abducted Patch. Throughout the time he was held captive, she never gave up hope of his safe return, even putting her own life in danger to uncover the truth.

You are drawn into the lives of Patch and Saint as they both search for something elusive. Although the friendship between the pair remains strong, it's obvious that Saint is in love with Patch, but Patch is oblivious to this as he is obsessed with finding Grace. While you are willing them both to be successful in their quest, you also want them to realise that what they really need is each other.

The supporting characters are wonderful. The writing is so descriptive that they are easy to visualise.  Sammy, in particular, is an amazing character; his support of Patch is unflinching. Sammy is neither a father figure nor a role model, which is what makes him such an enigmatic character. 

I felt that a span of twenty-six years meant that the story meandered a little, but I was so engrossed by the lives of Patch, Saint, and the other characters, that I kept turning the pages, desperate to see if questions would finally be answered.

I also need to take a moment to mention the cover artwork. While the cover of the hardback (set against a white background) is beautiful, the black background on the paperback is stunning. As you read the story of Patch's incarceration it really makes you appreciate what you can see.

Author Details

Chris Whitaker is the author of the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling All The Colours Of The Dark. His other acclaimed and bestselling novels include We Begin At The End, Tall Oaks, and All The Wicked Girls. Chris’s novels have been translated into thirty languages and have won the CWA Gold Dagger, the CWA John Creasey Dagger, the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, the Ned Kelly International Award, and numerous awards around the world. His books have also been selected for the Read With Jenna Book Club, Waterstones Thriller of the Month, Barnes & Noble Book Club, Good Morning America Book Club, and for BBC2’s Between The Covers. All The Colours Of The Dark is currently in development with Universal Pictures. Chris was born in London and lives in the UK.