My sister Julia manipulated my life into a prison to keep me silent about our dirty family secret. Her greed made me a slave and circumstance left me with no way to escape.Trapped, the only way I could silence the nightmares driving me to insanity was to wrap them in color, hold them with shadow, and stitch them to negative space with line.But no matter how bright the pigments, no one could see … no one could see my confession.
Except for Roy Callahan.
I thought he was just another nameless one-night stand in a long line of many.
But I was wrong. Roy could see past the façade of my life and through the veil color over the canvas. He could see what the world couldn’t.
And with him I’d find the courage to tell the truth about the boy.
The boy who kissed me.
The boy who loved me.
The boy whose name I couldn’t remember.
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While the plot of this story is twisted and certainly strong enough to carry the novel, this is very much a character-driven story. Paris is incredibly interesting, and lent himself to some beautiful writing.
Paris sees things as colours, and this expresses itself in his art. He is traumatised, and is compelled to paint the horrors in his head, the traumatic memories.
Because of his mental condition, his art is abstract, and is seen by others as ‘pretty’. His older sister is his manager, and they are both exceedingly rich as a result of Paris’ art. However, it disturbs Paris that other people are paying for and enjoying depictions of his horrors. Meanwhile, his sister has managed to get legal control of him and misuses this control to metaphorically and literally prostitute him.
Paris meets Roy, and they start a relationship. Paris is very good at ‘faking normal’, so Roy doesn’t notice anything wrong with him for a while. Roy, however, finds Paris’ paintings very disturbing. He sees Paris as a rich man who desperately needs love, and starts introducing him to simple pleasures.
The relationship develops, and obviously Roy becomes aware of Paris’ mental issues. He does his best to help Paris, but the older sister doesn’t want him treated. If he’s better, then he doesn’t see colours the same way and he doesn’t paint, ergo, he doesn’t make any money. But Paris doesn’t know a world without colours and even he’s not entirely sure he wants to be better. But he does need to be safe.
It’s an utterly compelling story, and Paris is a fascinating character. The writing is beautiful. This is a story that will touch your heart and stay with you. Five stars.
I would rate this 5 stars.
Paris is a successful artist who picks up Roy, a maintenance man, at his gallery showing. He’s trying to get away from his overbearing sister, Julia and the patrons who all want a piece of him. This one night stand doesn’t go like all his others. By the time his other sister Alice is introduced, it’s obvious something is very wrong with not only Paris, but everyone who surrounds him. It’s a story of greed, lust, and betrayal.
First, I would say this book has very dark themes with: angst, violence, drugs, drinking, brutal sex, deaths, PTSD, and past trauma. But those are just words; if you read this book, you will feel all of those words. Second, it is written in the first person POV of a mentally ill person who is in tremendous pain, is self medicating, and has no sense of self worth. Add in the layer of abuse Alice heaps on him as his legal guardian, and the story is quite harrowing. There is a really pivotal scene where I realized Paris can take care of himself…does he let Julia hurt him because of guilt? or is it just fear and habit?
The meaningless sex here is brutal and explicit as Paris exercises some of the only power he has. Then there is the dubious/non consensual sex. As Roy starts to realize the sex means nothing, he tries to date Paris without it. All the meaning comes from Roy’s care giving, but Roy quickly realizes he’s in over his head and Paris needs professional help. Roy is also clever enough to realize he can give Paris a positive sexual outlet for the first time in his life, with someone who loves him. I made a point to mention this because, sex is a major, integral part of this book. I didn’t feel the story lacked anything at all, it’s just important to remember the reader is never given anyone’s POV but Paris’s. Paris’s world is filled with wealthy, bloodthirsty sharks. Paris is drowning from the inside out. Roy may be a flotation device, but Paris still has to hang on, and he is still in the sea.
By the halfway mark, the reader should understand almost all of the demons that drive Paris, but it’s not until the end that the demons driving Julia and Alice are understood. There could be a debate about whether this is a romance or not. While I love Roy, for me, the HEA comes from Paris getting the professional help he needs from a doctor he trusts. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I knew it was going to be an emotionally devastating read, so I kept putting it off. I can say without a doubt, this will be on my best of the year (and possibly ever read in this genre) list.
The cover design is by Adrienne Wilder with a photo from Dan Skinner. While it does show the colors in Paris’s mind, and the photo shows the darkness, it’s not terribly compelling.
This isn’t an easy read and the subject matter is dark, but I loved it. Engrossing, emotional , tragic, original, and the romance and writing style is unique – a real page-turner.
I’d conflicted emotions reading this book. I despised Paris a lot of times until o totally understand his predicaments…
Roy was a jewel from the beginning of the story and he was so worthy of s happy ending…
This book is a roller coaster but so worth reading. Loved it
I absolutely adored this story, but I’m telling you right here and now, don’t ever ask me to read it again… I think I’m slightly traumatised at the moment.
Confused? Trust me, I get that. *shrugs*
This was an oftentimes painful story to read. I freely admit that I didn’t immediately connect with the characters or the story which worried me. By worry, I mean that it would all be too much for me to deal with (the pitfalls of being an emotional reader). But, after the first couple of chapters I started to feel braver – big girl panties for the win!
Paris is, without a doubt, one of the most complex characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. My heart simultaneously broke and soared with love for him. I cried – lots. To be betrayed in such a fashion by those that should love and protect you. Ugh…
Yet, this story also contained one of the most honest, beautiful and heartfelt love stories I’ve ever picked up. To truly love someone, you have to love all the pieces of them, even their dark places. If you can find that, you are blessed beyond words.
Be warned – this story touches on some very sensitive issues so won’t be to everyone’s taste. I’m sure this is one story that will stay with me for years to come. I’ll remember every tear, feelings of hope, beginnings of love and suspense-laden moment right to the climatic reveal.
Adrienne Wilder is a new-to-me author and I’m not surprised to find out he’s also an artist because he painted this story with his words, and I was helpless to do anything but watch them come alive.
Right, I think I need to go eat my feelings now. *hiccups*
This is not a book to read if you’re not in a happy mindset yourself. I actually had to put it down a couple of times, get a grip on my feelings, and then restart reading it.
Because Complementary Colors is heartbreaking and mind-altering. Until reading Paris’ story I didn’t know that the human psyche can survive so much pressure and manipulation. And poor Paris seems to keep it barely there,on the brinks of completely loosing it. I was so,so happy when he met Roy,who finally brings hope and light into his life.
I don’t have enough words to describe how immensely staggering and overwhelming Complementary Colors is . The story is ugliness and beauty, darkness and colors,so much hate and eventually, thankfully…love and hope.
Yet another proof that Adrienne Wilder is brilliant at writing the best emotional books. I loved it!
It does not happen often that a book leaves me completely speechless or makes me stay up until 3am on a weeknight to finish reading. This book so did!
Complementary Colors is a title you have got to read if you like angsty reads full of emotions, turmoil and inner demons. The viewpoint and narration style make you observe reality through the MC’s eyes with such details and dynamic it feels like VR! An amazing skill to carry out a story and the character’s dynamics with such perfection.
This book is a M/M love story. But it is also so much more! Loved it completely and totally.
Complementary Colors by Adrienne Wilder is a pretty dark read. It has mystery, violence, abuse, lies … so many secrets, such bad coping mechanisms, and so much manipulation. This isnt the fluffy and sweet kind of love story… some things in this book will hurt.. there will be angst, lies and things that will haunt.
I had started this book and had to stop and restart again a different day because the first time I tried I just couldn’t get into it and decided to wait a day or two and try again. I am actually glad I did. Originally, some aspects of it just were not working for me, especially the first half of the book. But revisiting the book, I found myself seeing things differently and I will say that the last parts of the book made me glad I gave it that second try. There are some aspects in the book that come will find too rough, perhaps deal breakers for sure.
These characters provoke emotions. Some you will see in a favorable light and like, others you will want to see shot. Paris is in such need for help and seeing everything through his eyes was interesting. I thought that this story and characters definitely delivered on the dysfunctional and damaged front.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
An utterly riveting, disturbing, yet ultimately triumphant story. The author employs a stunning, clever plot technique…. The story is told from the POV of Paris, a brilliantly talented, famous artist whose strings are held and pulled by his twisted and abusive sister. Paris’s paintings all tell a story, a story visible only to him. The story reflects his brutal childhood and supressed memories of horrible events which Paris has blocked, but which pour forth from him in manic episodes of painting. Then Roy comes along. Roy is able to see Paris’s hidden pain, and through his caring patience and tough love, Roy becomes Paris’s champion. The author’s writing technique mirrors Paris’s painting technique in that the layers and mysteries of the past are revealed as the story progresses, much as Paris “reveals” them in his paintings.
This book kept me up well into the night. A truly unique read – and a difficult one in that it heavily involves abuse, both emotional and physical. Heartbreaking, infuriating, yet also full of rightness and love. I wanted to jump into the pages and throttle the sister, and help Roy and Paris to the good place and peace they arrive at together.