All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🥂
I don’t think I ever cried as much as I have reading this book. A story of how we break and how we fall. Of how we hold on and how we love. A tragedy from the first page, but also with glimmers of hope. A story about stolen girls hits so close to my heart. He captures brokenness so well. Love more. Forgive more. #chriswhitaker #allthecolorsofthedark #NetGalley #bookstagram #generalfiction @chriswhitakerauthor

I really wanted to love this book because I have been seeing rave reviews everywhere, but it did not work for me. It is a very dark book (about a serial killer and abuse) but that wasn't what turned me off -- my problem with the book was that I just didn't care about the characters. I didn't find them endearing or like people I wanted to spend 600 pages with. I seem to be an outlier but this one.

Book Review: All the Colors of the Dark
By Chris Whitaker


I can’t say enough about Chris Whitaker’s new release - All the Colors of the Dark. It is so many things - quietly beautiful and deep, haunting, dark, bright and hopeful. It’s an unputdownable coming of age tale, a buddy story, a serial killer mystery, and an epic drama about love and obsession. All the Colors of the Dark is storytelling at its best - finely drawn characters you won’t soon forget and a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Here’s the set up. It’s 1975, in the small town of Monta Claire, Missouri and girls have gone missing. Patch, a poor one-eyed boy, who thinks he’s a pirate, and Saint, a beekeeper raised by her grandmother, are outsiders. They form a quick and long lasting friendship which will span decades and be tried by circumstance. Everything changes when Patch becomes the unlikely hero who thwarts the kidnapping of a local girl and is taken instead. He is held captive in a dark room. There he meets Grace, a voice in the dark, his angel and savior. But does she really exist? Patch believes she does, and he will stop at nothing to track down his capture and find the girl he loves.

*Trigger Warnings: violence, abuse, predatory behaviors, captivity


Many thanks to the author @ChrisWhitikerWriter, @CrownPublishing and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of All the Colors of the Dark. I read We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker last year, and the thing about his writing that really draws me in is his ability to not only describe the story in vivid detail but also the characters that you can't help but feel like you come to know over the course of his stories. There is a reason All the Colors of the Dark is the July Read with Jenna pick (announced a few days ago and ahead of it's June 25 pub date). It starts off on a bang with a story about Patch, and only takes off from there. I was immediately invested in the story and couldn't help but want to keep reading. I will say that this one is a bit longer than some of his previous books, but don't let that deter you from picking this one up. He has a way to make a 700 page story feel like 200 and leave the reader wanting more.

Very well written. Made me cry. Now I'm going to read his other books. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Excellent story that will stick with me. The author makes me care about flawed characters and their stories more than anyone else. I found it a little bit long and dragging a bit in the middle, and I thought that I would be mad if I didn't get a good payoff at the end. Happy to report I'm pleased with the ending and it has left me with a bit of a book hangover. Once again this author writes an extremely compelling, hard-to-forget novel.

So grateful for receiving an arc of this book. I unfortunately didn’t love it the way so many others did so I’m sure I’m an outlier. It’s not so much a “thriller” in my opinion as the pacing is a bit slower for my liking. I enjoyed most of the story and the mystery behind the missing girl (Grace) and Patch being told she isn’t real and his intimate friendship with Saint.

I think I just struggled with the pacing and the length of the book. There's over 200 chapters but each is very short. I loved the small town vibes to the story and I was invested but there’s a lot happening with quite a few characters and it felt laborious to me and I had moments where I just wanted it to end.

3.5⭐️

I loved All The Colors of The Dark. The writing style definitely took me a little bit to get into it first but, once I was in a groove, it was incredibly beautiful, brilliantly complex and heartbreaking and more than I could’ve even imagined I would want from the story.

While I never imagined I would want to reread a 600 page book, there was so much nuance here that I know I missed things I will want to (re)discover.

This book will gut you like a fish.

I am absolutely destroyed.

Emotionally damaged and healed over and over again in these 600 pages.

This novel is long, but every word deserves to be on the page. I had no idea how Chris Whitaker could follow up We Begin at the End, which had served as a standard few books could hold a candle to, but somehow we have All the Colors of the Dark.

Believe everything you’re going to see and hear about this book. These characters. This story. Patch. Saint. Norma. Sammy. Nix. Each one so beautiful and complex and flawed and perfect.

I can’t even write a coherent review. I don’t even know how to read another book after this. It was simply spectacular.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing.

It's 1975 and Patch is good friends with Saint. They are adolescents on the outs with kids they age and Patch comes from very little. One day he stops a man from taking a girl from a wealthy family, and he goes missing instead. This is the story of what happens after. So good, hard to put down!

Powerful and haunting, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK rendered me speechless and wanting more. That’s quite something for a novel exceeding 600 pages. Chris Whitaker is an absolute genius when it comes to creating unforgettable characters and he’s done it again with Patch and Saint taking up residence in my heart alongside Duchess from We Begin at the End. His writing is fluid and utterly gorgeous. It’s easy to get lost in his words.

Writing a plot summary for a book of this length and complexity is near impossible. There are simply too many elements present: missing girls, a serial killer on the loose, prolonged family trauma, abuse, found family, an abiding friendship, and, ultimately, a love story. This is an epic tale of sacrifice, resilience, tragedy, and triumph spanning more than two decades.

Whitaker grabbed my attention from the start with a beginning rich with action and character development. The pace slowed about a third of the way through, but the short chapters kept me turning the pages. The final third of the book moved at a faster pace as the pieces began to fit together. And the ending … Let’s just say it left me breathless. This book is stunning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the privilege of reading an advance Review copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thirteen-year-old Patch Macauley is a survivor. It's 1975, and Patch and his best friend, Saint, are outcasts in the small town of Monta Claire, Missouri. Their lives are forever changed when Patch saves the daughter of a wealthy family from kidnapping, only for himself to be taken instead. Held hostage by a serial killer, he survives with the help of fellow hostage Grace. Saint eventually finds Patch, but Grace and the kidnapper disappear. Thus begins Patch's search for the girl he fell in love with, a journey that spans decades and thousands of miles.
This is a novel about love, hope, and obsession. It takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride where Patch and Saint, whose paths merge and diverge numerous times, seek an elusive love hauntingly out of reach. The writing is powerful, the characters adeptly drawn, and the storytelling at its finest.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Crown for this e-arc.*

I fell in love with Chris Whitaker after reading 𝗪𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗱. With this new book, he again proves his genius. His books are so much more than a mystery or thriller - there is so much heart in his novels. The Pirate and Beekeeper are unlike any characters I’ve ever encountered. I loved their story, their friendship, their love for each other. There is so much covered from 1976-2001, and every piece is crucial to the story - kidnapping, survivor’s guilt, a house. Each sentence is written better than the next.

From Duchess to Patch and Saint - his characters are so incredibly special and will stay with me for a long time.

An epic story, about love, and friendship that starts in 1975 and spans decades.
Wonderful characters..
Patch and Saint two youngsters who become friends, and then their world is shaken when young Patch saves a local girl from being taken by a man in the woods and comes to harm himself.
This is a thriller also..missing girls, a serial killer mystery.
Very short chapters (which I love)… will keep you turning pages… I was hooked from the start!
I was brought to tears at the end … satisfying tears.
Highly recommended!

This novel is written over the span of 25 years, from 1976 to 2001, and follows the lives of Saint and Patch from their teenage years to adulthood, showcasing their different life paths, journies, and decisions. The depiction of small-town life and the struggles of the oppressed members of the town are vivid and immersive. Whitaker has such a way with his words, and even though the novel has a little over 608 pages, the beautiful writing, and smartly written chapters don't make this novel daunting.

I really have nothing negative to say about this read. I will, without a doubt, be thinking of the story told for months to come. My only issue is that the categories given to this story are mystery and thriller fiction. I would stress that it's written more as a character study than a plot-driven story, so I personally, think it should be marketed more as a literary and contemporary read (the crime thriller told within takes a back-seat when compared to the character's relationship. All the Colors of the Dark is truly a captivating read, and I cannot emphasize how heavily I recommend this.

Quick take: I really enjoyed this overall and definitely recommend it, but it didn’t rise to the 5-star level for me like it did for many other early reviewers.

I won’t even attempt a plot summary, but I will say that this book is about a small town, missing girls, friendship, and art, and it follows the characters over decades. It has short chapters that make it easy to read just a little more than you planned each time you sit down with it. Despite the marketing, it is not paced like a typical mystery or thriller; it is a character driven, slow burn drama that happens to have with a mystery element. I wanted to find out what was going on, but it was a lot of work to get there. This book is over 600 pages and I felt it! There were a few big reveals over the course of the book, but they felt few and far between. There was a big payoff at the end, but at times in the middle it felt like a slog and I questioned whether it would be worth it.

I think I’m in the minority in that I didn’t love or hate it! I remember struggling with Whitaker’s writing style when I read his last book, WE BEGIN AT THE END, but I didn’t have trouble with it this time. I didn’t fall in love with the characters, perhaps because I spent too much time rolling my eyes at some of the romantic entanglements, or just because it felt like the author was trying too hard to tug at my heartstrings and I’m too cynical. Despite my complaints, I definitely recommend this if it’s on your radar - I think it will be absolutely perfect for many readers!

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am saddened to say that I am DNFing at nearly 40%. While I enjoyed “We Begin at the End,” I’m not loving Whitaker’s newest (upcoming) release. The description as being a “soaring thriller” fell flat making the story lean heavily on the “epic love story that spans decades.”

I loved this book! The character development. The good in the most unexpecting people. How the story is all woven together in the end and the surprises in how it all wraps up. Five stars!

"All the Colors of the Dark" has so many ecstatic reviews from fans of Chris Whitaker that I simply had to read it. Thanks to Crown publishers and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not as enraptured by this book as other reviewers. The first part of terrific, a great establishment of characters and situation, class and setting. You love Saint and Patch, and I loved Misty. Whitaker does a beautiful job in putting his characters on that hero/villain tightrope that keeps you guessing.

The novel is too long, and the short chapters interrupt the opportunity for greater development. Too many jump-cuts--I think his readers have a longer attention span for story development and character growth. He's such a good writer that I wish an editor had taken an x-acto and sliced out a hundred pages which would have helped maintain the tension. I liked "All the Colors of the Dark" to take a chance on another of his novels, perhaps a shorter, tighter one.

When a rich girl in town is targeted, an unlikely hero emerges; Patch, a local boy with only one eye. He saves the girl but starts of a chain of devastation and heartache.

This one has been getting amazing reviews so I had to read it. I loved the beginning as Patch and Saint were children and beginning their friendship. There’s some major excitement and drama in the beginning that I loved. After that it turned into more of a mystery story and I just wasn’t as hooked. I’m definitely the outlier here so I still suggest you try it for yourself.

“If you ever get the chance to make someone smile, or better yet, make someone laugh, then you take it. Each and every time.”

All the Colors of the Dark comes out 6/25.