All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

 

All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker came on my radar because it was one of Catherine's picks in the Summer Preview episode of Sarah's Bookshelves podcast. 

A young boy saves a girl from being kidnapped and is kidnapped himself. What follows is a decades-long tale of the reverberating effects of that one incident.

Here is where I tell you that I'm a terrible reader. I found myself constantly frustrated by Whitaker's purposefully obtuse writing. It was clear he knew what he was doing, but it was also clear that the style was not for me. I can see why this style of writing would appeal to others and there were some beautiful moments, but I also felt a bit like I was being misled in a mean way. It also felt like sort of reading a very boring textbook that only talked about criminals and disasters in which a lot of people died. 

Eh. 4/5 stars because I'm pretty sure I should have liked this more than I did.

Lines of note:

"When it comes to marriage, love is merely a visitor over a lifetime. Respect and kindness, they are the true foundations." (page 272)

I mean, this is a weird thing to say, isn't it? If you treat someone with respect and kindness, won't love come along? 

He took her to the small public library, surprised that such a reader had not been before.

"So other people have touched these, maybe even read them on the toilet, and then you just go ahead and take them home?" she said. (page 406)

I am not joking when I tell you that this is the reason my SIL doesn't use the library. I do not know how to react to people like this.

"I feel like I'm acting. When I'm being a father, when I'm being a friend. When I make something to eat or take a shower. I'm playing a part in a story deep down you know cannot end well." (page 427)

Ha ha ha. I feel like I'm acting like I'm some sort of adult all the time. How did I get to be in charge of shit?

"Why do some people fall so short?"

"It depends what you measure against." (page 482)

I like this perspective!!

Things I looked up: 

TRAP laws (page 50) - Targeted restrictions on abortion providers. These laws are designed to shut down abortion providers through costly and medically unnecessary requirements. I'd never seen or heard this acronym before. 

Super Outbreak of 1974 (page 56) - From April 3–4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. It was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the 2011 Super Outbreak. It was also the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded, with 30 violent (F4 or F5 rated) tornadoes confirmed. 

Yuba City bus disaster (page 64) - This occurred on May 21, 1976, in Martinez, California. A chartered school bus transporting 52 passengers on an elevated offramp left the roadway, landing on its roof. Of the 52 passengers (not including the driver), 28 students and an adult adviser were killed in the crash.

The Memphis Girl by Addison Lafarge - A painting mentioned in the book. I think maybe it's a fictional painting?

paifang (page 277) - Also known as Pailou, meaning archway in English, is a traditional Chinese gateway with a memorial or decorative nature. 

...massacre in 1933, four lawmen dead at the hands of Adam Richetti and Charles Floyd as Frank Nash was being transferred back to Leavenworth prison. (page 292) - Kansas City Massacre in 1933. Read more about it here. 

...moved on to Ollie Embry...(page 292) - A criminal who was on FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives list, but only for twelve days before he was arrested. He was wanted for the robbery of the Monroe national bank in Columbia, Illinois.

mammatus clouds (page 376) - a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud

Big Bayou Canot Bridge (page 388) - On September 22, 1993, an Amtrak Sunset Limited passenger train derailed on the CSX Transportation Big Bayou Canot Bridge near Mobile, Alabama, United States. Forty-seven people were killed and 103 more were injured. To date, it is the deadliest train wreck in both Amtrak's history and Alabama's railway history.

Hat mentions (why hats?): 

22 hats!! That seems like a lot for a contemporary book. Some of my favorites are:

...her grandmother wore a navy dress with a gorse flower hat, like she could not decide whether to celebrate or mourn. (page 281)

...trussed between layers of blankets and a pink woolen hat. (page 391)

Sammy buried his hands deep in the pockets of his velvet blazer and straightened his rabbit felt hat. (page 481)