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dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up this book because I saw several readers hyping it up on social media. I personally don't see the hype. The writing style, though quite stunning in sections, felt contrived. I felt hyper-aware of the writing style in a way that sometimes took away from the reading experience. Not sure if others will relate to this. I wished characters would have normal conversations instead of constantly saying the most philosophical, perfectly-phrased reflection on the nature of life. Especially the child and teen characters. Just felt off to me.
This book was extremely slow paced. Like it's a "thriller" in the sense that they are tracking a serial killer, sure. And the chapters are short to artificially make it feel like a page turner, but it was much too slow of a burn to truly be a thriller. Though I never read thrillers so maybe I'm wrong. The middle section was hard to get through. I kept wondering how this book could possibly be almost 600 pages, and I SAVOUR a long book if it's good. I gave it an extra .5 star for the last 50 or so pages that gave a satisfactory ending (though too many loose ends were tied up, in my opinion). Interested to hear what people who loved this book have to say.
This book was extremely slow paced. Like it's a "thriller" in the sense that they are tracking a serial killer, sure. And the chapters are short to artificially make it feel like a page turner, but it was much too slow of a burn to truly be a thriller. Though I never read thrillers so maybe I'm wrong. The middle section was hard to get through. I kept wondering how this book could possibly be almost 600 pages, and I SAVOUR a long book if it's good. I gave it an extra .5 star for the last 50 or so pages that gave a satisfactory ending (though too many loose ends were tied up, in my opinion). Interested to hear what people who loved this book have to say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
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
This is all about Saint for me; she's just wonderful. Patch may be the catalyst but Saint is everything. The writing is stunning, so filled with colour even at its darkest moments.
It slows down a bit in the middle, but I found I liked that because it's when the characters really got under my skin. And by the time I reached the final third I literally could not put it down, devouring 200 pages in less than a day.
I'll admit, at some point I questioned whether it was as brilliant as the reviews I'd read; I felt like there were a lot of questions and that maybe I'd missed some detail that would tie things together. I should have had more faith because by the end I understood everything and more that I'd never expected.
I wept through the last few chapters, I was so emotionally invested that finishing was bittersweet. Such an incredibly human story with the most amazing characters, this might be the best book I've read this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abortion
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, Abortion
Minor: Incest
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book impossible to describe. It is exquisitely written; meandering but always with intent and meaning. You will find few specific details, but it is written in such a way as to paint a more vivid whole than would be possible with conventional prose. The themes are dark and difficult, but the story is beautiful and complex and nuanced as are the characters. Absolutely amazing!! I didn't want it to ever end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book wrecked me. Entirely and absolutely.
It's the slowest paced thriller I've ever read, but the short chapters paired with a writing style that leaves you guessing did add a certain level of thrill.
I loved the complex, flawed characters and their relationships with one another. It's a heartbreaking but beautiful story. Many plot twists, some of which I really didn't see coming.
There's a lot going on in this book--maybe a little too much, maybe it's longer than it needed to be--but overall, it was a captivating and moving read.
It's the slowest paced thriller I've ever read, but the short chapters paired with a writing style that leaves you guessing did add a certain level of thrill.
I loved the complex, flawed characters and their relationships with one another. It's a heartbreaking but beautiful story. Many plot twists, some of which I really didn't see coming.
There's a lot going on in this book--maybe a little too much, maybe it's longer than it needed to be--but overall, it was a captivating and moving read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Suicide
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This could have been a really great book, but for me, it was merely a decent book. I almost gave up on it at around 55%, but so many people loved it that I pushed on, skimming a bit, to get to the end. Whitaker had a great start, but then it really, really dragged in the middle. All The Colors of the Dark is overly long, at about 600 pages; a good editor could have done wonders for it by cutting it down to a more manageable length.
The two main characters, Patch and Saint, were well-drawn individuals. We don’t really get enough on the third main character, Misty, to say the same about her. There’s also a great side character, Sammy, who owns an art gallery in the small Missouri town where much of the action takes place. (I kept wondering how there could be a viable art gallery in a place that could barely sustain a movie theater, but oh well.) I’m glad I didn’t DNF midway because then I wouldn’t have met Charlotte, a feisty character I loved.
This is not a thriller, although there are a couple of “action scenes” here and there, and there’s definitely a mystery. It’s more of a literary character-driven drama.
Another thing a good editor should have caught was a glaring Britishism, even though the book takes place in the United States. (The author is British/English.) The phrase “fell pregnant” was used a few times; this phrase is not used in the US. We say “I/she got pregnant” or “I am/she is pregnant.” (I checked the published audiobook and these phrases were still there, just as in my review copy of the book).
There is a lot of talk of religion in this book, specifically certain Christian religious beliefs. That’s something I don’t care for in my reading, but other people may not have the same issue. It overlays a lot of the story.
The audiobook, which I thank my public library for, is narrated by the wonderful Eduardo Ballerini, but even he couldn’t save this one. It was just too long and meandering.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sprawling serial killer chase that spans decades. The story comes through large breaks in time and bite-sized chapters (261 in all). Fairly entertaining, but for me the driving plot and character development both fell flat. For instance, only one of the 261 chapters passes the Bechdel test — despite the fact that the great majority of characters in the book that surround Patch (our main character) are women. Additionally, Marty Tombs’ “crime” felt obvious from the first time Saint spotted him with blood on his hands, but we still had to wait 20 years and dozens of chapters for our cast of characters (who are theoretically brilliant) to put the pieces together.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Violence, Abortion, Murder
Minor: Incest, Suicide