[close] Patches of Grey is a tale of reckless ambition, boundless optimism, ironclad convictions, bitter disillusionment, the complexity of race relations, the confusion of self exploration, naïveté of first love, inevitability of heartbreak, and the demise of innocence. Its narrative focus alternates among members of the embattled Johnson family throughout the course of a tumultuous year. In this time, Tony's collegiate aspirations and interracial relationship put him at odds with his father. Seeing unrealized goals reincarnated in the eyes of his eldest son harshly remind Lionel of what could have been, and what went tragically wrong. Tony's brother is entangled in gang culture; the chastity of their sister is tested; and their mother shoulders the load of marriage to a man drowning his disappointment one drink at a time. When things fall apart, their last hope is that the blood they share will be strong enough to hold them together. [close]