All the Colors of the Dark was the only book I put on my Christmas list. I had seen so many people absolutely rave over the book, so why not? After almost all of my friends at book club claimed it as one of their favorite books of the year, I figured that I might as well read it. Remember, I’m trying to be okay with being on the bandwagon with super hyped books.

The Story

From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town 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 with one eye, 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.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.

My Thoughts

I will preface this review by saying that I did give All the Colors of the Dark four stars on Goodreads. It was likely closer to a 3.75, but I was feeling generous.

Now that’s out of the way, I am LIVID at how long this book was. It was so unnecessarily long! I also have some choice words for anyone that would classify this book as a thriller. Mystery? Yes-ish. But a thriller? No.

It is my belief this book could have been 40% shorter and been amazing. You know how a serious chunk of Deathly Hallows felt like “Harry Potter’s Long Camping Trip”? That’s what was happening here. It was a litany of pointless snippets of life. (Wow, that sounds super harsh…)

I am a fan of short chapters, but this 608 page book had 261 chapters. So, not only was the book terribly long, but it was also super choppy. Sometimes a few chapters about Saint, sometimes a few about Patch, sometimes it alternated. Some were only a couple of paragraphs. IT FELT LIKE NONSENSE.

It’s also when reading books like All the Colors of the Dark that I’m reminded I’m a plot-driven reader, not a character-driven reader. I’d say that this book was likely a beautiful character story and development. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily what I look for in books.

How did it earn four stars from me? The ending. I’d say the final 25-30% of the book redeemed the rest. The ending was poignant (and more of a thriller). It was a lovely balance of emotion and engagement.

If this were NetGalley, they’d ask me if I’d recommend this book to friends or family. Honestly, I don’t know. If you’re the plot-driven reader, probably not. If you like a good character story with a little romance and a mystery, you might be like everyone else I know and absolutely love it.

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