mystery
After a young teen thwarts the attack of a classmate, he is
abducted in her place. His best friend won’t rest or relent in her search to
find him.
As usual, I didn’t read the book summary before beginning
All the Colors of the Dark for my book club. However, not far into this highly rated novel, I
feared I would be abandoning it. I truly cannot
enjoy child abduction stories. It’s too awful for me to contemplate. But I
persevered because of all the rave reviews and for the sake of book club discussion.
Truly, it was a heartbreaking novel. So much sadness,
disadvantage, poor choice-making, and desperation. Did it hold my attention?
Absolutely, although I often kept listening while filled with dread and wanting
to stop. Were there sections and characters that held hope and positivity? Definitely.
But this book was still an unpleasant, sorrowful experience for me until about
the 2/3 mark. The main characters were so flawed and/or damaged. Some were
obsessed. Some were misguided. Some were neglected. But they all suffered.
Sure, I like a story where characters have both light and dark sides. But this
one was lopsided with so much heartache.
The last third of the novel is the best part. The last quarter
was unputdownable which, I suspect, is the reason so many people think this is a stellar novel. I’m still not sure I’m glad I read this novel but the ending
made it worthwhile. All the Colors of the Dark is going to haunt me for a very
long time.
The best parts of the story involved the coincidences. Like
the other Chris Whitaker novel I’ve read, We Begin at the End, the story
included a policeman full of heart in a small town, children in crisis, inept
parental figures, a broken justice system, hard knocks, characters with the
capacity for love but the incapacity to show it. It was a tale both tragic
and heartwarming.
Edoardo Ballerini narrated the audiobook and he is one of my favorites. He did his usual great job with voice acting and vocal repertoire. I’ll give him an A.
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