Oh man, where to start with this one… Chris Whitaker’s beloved All The Colors Of The Dark is the story of Patch, a one-eyed boy growing up in rural Missouri in the 70s, who saves a classmate from being kidnapped on the way to school one morning. This act of bravery changes the trajectory of many lives in his small town and sets him off on a lifetime of yearning and seeking the truth about what happened that fateful morning and the months that followed. This long book is full of twists and turns, drama and coincidences, and a cast of flawed but memorable characters. While I found it propulsive and hard to put down, I also grew frustrated with the way it was told. Whitaker enjoys keeping his readers in the dark, imposing a low grade level of confusion throughout that is only resolved by reveals and explanations that happen many (very short) chapters later. While some enjoy this writing style, I grew frustrated by the author’s intentional vagueness and opacity. That, combined with some unrealistic plot points and convenient coincidences, knocked All The Colors Of The Dark down a notch or two for me. I also took issue with a few ideological stances that Whitaker took throughout the book, as well as his almost glorified, saintly treatment of women. I am glad, though, that I finally read it after hearing about it for so long, and to its credit, it has really stuck with me in the weeks since I finished. (How’s that for a mixed review?)