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jalexpulliamkepler's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death and War
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Author: Chris Whitaker
Genre: Literary Mystery
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sweeping • Intricate • Haunting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.
When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.
💭 T H O U G H T S
This book needs no introduction as it's been absolutely everywhere for the past 4 months. I'll admit was pretty indifferent after readingWe Begin At the End, my first Chris Whitaker novel. For that reason, I wasn't initially planning to read his newest release All the Colors of the Dark. However, a few glowing reviews from trusted bookish friends with similar reading tastes as me managed to change my mind. It was an added bonus that it was selected as the October book for my in person book club.
Through deeply layered storytelling, descriptive and atmospheric writing, engrossing and quick paced chapters, and fully formed characters with complex emotions, Whitaker has delivered a new forever favourite!
While this story is in many ways dark and tragic, it is equally filled with light and hope. It unpacks a lot of trauma, yet what really stood out for me is how it is weaves an epic love story - love lost and found, biological and found family love, love between friends and romantic love, and parental love. It shows the sacrifices love asks of us and it allows love to be messy - something often forgotten.
The cast of characters is beyond large, so much so that I needed to make myself a character list to keep the connections straight. Many of the characters comes and go, but the loyalty and friendship between Patch and Saint is constant and unlike any I've read before. The narrative tells how their paths diverged and converged over the decades, each remaining vulnerable in a host of ways.
It's quite possible All the Colors of the Dark is entirely too long, however, I never got distracted with the wordiness and was immersed in the slow, constant pacing. This is exactly the type of story that will stick with me long after I've read the final page. The type of book you sit with and savour, and I did exactly that.
Marketing All the Colors of the Dark as a thriller is deceiving and an utter disservice to the novel. It does not read like a thriller. The characters feel too real and relatable for a thriller. The level of depth and emotion goes way beyond a thriller. The writing is much more exquisite than most thrillers. Simply put this just isn't a thriller - it is so much more than that. The short chapters make for an easy reading experience, yet its the writing that keeps the plot moving. A story about second chances that combines pain and loss with hope and love, I'm certain it'll be landing on many #TopReadsOf2024 lists in a few months time... Maybe even mine. It's also great on audio read by Edoardo Ballerini.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• missing person mysteries
• unlikely pairings
• coming-of-age stories
• beekeeping
⚠️ CW: kidnapping/abduction, missing person, confinement, murder, death, child death, death of parent, death of partner, sibling death, grief, rape, sexual assault, physical abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, emotional abuse, incest, homophobia, lesbophobia, violence, gun violence, blood, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury, pregnancy, abortion, mental illness, alcoholism, alcohol, drug abuse, addiction, cursing, terminal illness, cancer, suicide attempt, suicide, bullying, mass shooting
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Friendship was a difficult art to master."
"Saint wanted to ask what is was like, to lose the thing that defined you. But perhaps she knew it left you someone else. A stranger you had no choice but to tolerate, and see each day and feel and fear."
"Do something meaningful. Or maybe just mean everything you do."
"Why do we hold on to the bad things and forget the good?"
"'I guess maybe someone all wrong for me in the ways that counted least. We fell in love and it was like... You know when all of a sudden there is meaning. Actual true meaning and purpose.'
'Like color in the dark,' Patch said.
'Yes. Exactly yes. Nothing is so dark with them in the world.'"
"Grief is a part of life. It's the unknown that truly ruins us."
"People say it gets easier, but that’s only because each day we get a little closer to seeing them again."
"To love and be loved was more than could ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes."
"Reading isn’t a privilege, sir. I believe we all have the right to leave our problems and escape into another world, if only through the written word."
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Suicide, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, and Suicide attempt
abduction, missing person, death of partner, sibling deathtayreads10's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
beate251's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Against all the odds, he is found a year later by his friend Saint Brown. But he is not the same anymore, and he can't stop talking about a girl called Grace who periodically shared his cell and kept him sane by sharing knowledge and travel stories. Police Chief Nix and others think his mind has conjured her up as a means to stay sane but Patch dedicates his life to finding her again. Under the guidance of his mentor Sammy he paints her and other missing girls, many who turn up dead later.
There is definitely a serial killer on the loose but no one can catch him. Patch is in a relationship with Misty for a while, then starts wandering the country, visiting parents of missing girls and now and then robbing banks, only to give the money to charities that look for missing persons.
Saint grows up to become a police officer and she never lets go of finding Patch's abductor - and Grace. When Patch turns Robin Hood it sets them on a collision course, but they will never stop being friends, having each other's back.
When I say I read this in one sitting and you look at the page count you will surmise that I must have lost sleep at night. Yes, massively, but I couldn't stop. The chapters are so short, just one or two pages long that it was easy to simply read "just one more chapter".
But I am deducting points for the length because I think a good author should be able to get a story done within about 400 pages. There were definitely passages that dragged and were repetitive.
I also couldn't understand that it took decades for the serial killer to be found and the mystery of Grace solved. Saint had so many recordings of Patch giving her information and they knew who they were looking for, her not finding the right info earlier felt absurd. A man nearly died under the vile death penalty, for goodness sake!
This is the story of many traumas. This is the story of a pirate and a beekeeper, of a man who touched so many lives, and in the end they came through for him. This is a story of second chances, of friendships and of never giving up. Impressive stuff.
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
foxmulders's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Abortion, and Death of parent
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tabookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
juanat77's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
shesflippinpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
literary_liv's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and War