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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of those books that I have heard so much about (from BBC's ‘Between the Covers’ and various social media influencers) that I bought a copy but was never in the mood to read it (my TBR is ridiculously overflowing). All I can say is thank you to The New Forest Book Club members who voted for this as our July 2025 pick - it finally forced me to move it to the top of my Neverending TBR.
So, first impressions: an emotionally charged book that, initially, seemed to be about the mystery surrounding an abduction. It turned out to be so much more. The thriller / mystery aspect of the plot was only the beginning. The author has penned a deep dive into what happens to the victims of child abductions and murders and those that surround them; how one split second reaction can change the course of so many lives.
To describe this as epic feels like something of an understatement since it begins in the mid 1970s and follows events from the POV of multiple characters until 2001. Touching on themes such as grief, love, obsession, trauma, found family and the resilience of the human spirit, among others, there was so much depth to this beautifully written book that it needs to be read to be believed.
Despite the bleak nature of the underlying plot (check your triggers please), there are moments of transcendence and beauty and the author has penned each of the characters so well that you care about each of them. How he does this is as amazing as being able to come up with the plot line since the chapters themselves are very short - sometimes only 2 or 3 pages. So despite the length (which when you first pick it up can be overwhelming), it is very readable and digestible.
I will confess, it took me until I was about 15% through to really get a grip on the story and the characters but when I did, it became unputdownable. There are so many twists and turns to the plot that you will never guess what happens next and the final reveal is completely unexpected.
Quite simply: if you’re looking for a book that has a gripping story and will break you emotionally and change your brain chemistry, look no further. Even if you think that you don’t like thrillers, this genre defying book will change your mind.
5 stars 🤓📚
@ChrisWhitakerAuthor
#Allthecoloursofthedark
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abortion
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A book that will pick a part every human emotion through a series of characters you can’t help but love through all their darkness. Instantly became a top read of all time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: War
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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: Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Incest, Suicide, Abortion
Minor: Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Pregnancy, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This made me feel SOMETHING but I can't pinpoint what. It was very reminiscent of Demon Copperhead, which I loved. I gave this the same rating because I also really enjoyed it. HOWEVER buckle in for it - this book is LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. I do think it could have been a tad shorter, but I understand the need for the length since it spans decades. I did like the ending though it was a little cheesy. I will say, Patch disappointed me again and again, but I was still cheering him on the whole time?I do wish him and Saint ended up together. But I think that's how I'm supposed to feel?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Snappy page-turner with characters you want to believe in. Lots of twists in this novel—some of them highly contrived on closer examination. There’s also something icky about Patch profiting off the portraits of kidnapped girls
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Gun violence, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
A stunning book but it was overly long and dragged a little in places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dark and heavy story with deeply developed and flawed characters and beautiful imagery about resilient hope in the face of haunting tragedy and the persistent drive to find truth and good in the darkest of places.
There was much about this book that was hard to read. The topics are heavy. While there are moments of happiness, joy, and a lot of love, the bulk of this book is overall a deeply sad story for almost everyone in it. There is no fairy tale happily ever after here. Early in the story, it felt a bit hard to follow, in part because the characters were in confusing situations and in part because the writing was almost too descriptive and filled with too many beautifully lyrical metaphors and imagery. In the middle, the story is deeply sad and was hard to continue reading at times, but that I was so invested in finding the same truth they were seeking. My heart hurt and the story lingered with me even when I wasn't reading. I felt the despair and hopelessness of each of the characters in their own journeys, but I couldn't put it down. Once pieces starting coming together and as the end of multiple characters' stories came together, I was afraid of the potentially devastating ending.
And in the end, I was in fact devastated by this book, entirely and completely.
This writing style is not for everyone. Go into this book not only heeding the trigger warnings (and there are quite a few), but understanding that this is a literary saga that spans nearly 30 years. This is not an action adventure. The prose is wordy. The pace is slow. And my one actual complaint is that with so many characters moving in so many different places and directions, the switch of perspective between chapters was often confusing because I didn't know exactly who I was with until the name was mentioned a few sentences in or I pieced it together from context clues. But with all of that said, this is a beautifully written and powerful story.
There was much about this book that was hard to read. The topics are heavy. While there are moments of happiness, joy, and a lot of love, the bulk of this book is overall a deeply sad story for almost everyone in it. There is no fairy tale happily ever after here. Early in the story, it felt a bit hard to follow, in part because the characters were in confusing situations and in part because the writing was almost too descriptive and filled with too many beautifully lyrical metaphors and imagery. In the middle, the story is deeply sad and was hard to continue reading at times, but that I was so invested in finding the same truth they were seeking. My heart hurt and the story lingered with me even when I wasn't reading. I felt the despair and hopelessness of each of the characters in their own journeys, but I couldn't put it down. Once pieces starting coming together and as the end of multiple characters' stories came together, I was afraid of the potentially devastating ending.
And in the end, I was in fact devastated by this book, entirely and completely.
This writing style is not for everyone. Go into this book not only heeding the trigger warnings (and there are quite a few), but understanding that this is a literary saga that spans nearly 30 years. This is not an action adventure. The prose is wordy. The pace is slow. And my one actual complaint is that with so many characters moving in so many different places and directions, the switch of perspective between chapters was often confusing because I didn't know exactly who I was with until the name was mentioned a few sentences in or I pieced it together from context clues. But with all of that said, this is a beautifully written and powerful story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a fantastic book! It kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the entire time. I loved the short chapters, two viewpoints, and the diverse cast of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Murder
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
To read, this is a book of 3 parts. The first is a thriller, the second lulls and it’s hard to see how the story will progress, but the final third is fantastic with twists and turns. The chapters are unusually short (there are about 230!) showing the story progress from the perspective of different characters. The plot itself is unique and beautifully told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder