All the Colours of the Dark (B PB)

I started reading this book with a lot of expectations. I literally saw it on every book recommendation. Let me start by saying that the first thing that caught my attention was the one to four minutes long chapters. Every chapter was barely one to two minutes long and the longest chapters were four minutes. I thought to myself, how incredible is that! You might think that since the chapters are short you can easily stop turning the pages, absolutely not! This was a slowly immersive journey about a boy with one eye called Patch(Joseph Macauley) and his heroic, impulsive decision to save a girl( the most beautiful and popular girl in his class) one fine day. This is about his only friend in school Saint, who relentlessly pursues searching for her pirate friend, not ever letting go of hope even after everyone gives up. This is about finding light in the darkest of days and not letting go of it even when all the colours fade. This book will keep you guessing till the very end and still you will not want it to end. Each character and every scene will stitch into your existence and you will not be able to forget it for a long time. You will wonder did Patch really meet a girl while he was abducted or was he simply hallucinating? You will understand because of one single incident how the lives entangled with it changed and took a course no one even imagined. If you think you know the depths of friendship and love think again before reading this brilliant piece of art. Some books really do live upto all the hype around it. And definitely this book will ruin you for your next read, be prepared!

Engaging and absorbing read, very well written with unexpected twists.

Intelligent page turner that didnt let me put the book down! Riveting! Must must must read… reading a suspense / thriller like this after a long time!

Omg. Please do not go by the reviews given. I am zapped. Had it not been a book decided by my reading club i could not have read it. It's illogical, you cannot connect with the character. Please do not buy

I was a little bit unsure early on in the book about how much I was going to enjoy it. I liked it from the start, but felt my feelings for it 'lag' a bit for part of the first quarter of it. Then, I'm not even sure how it happened, but it grabbed me by the heart and kept me all the way through. I had a hard time putting it down (man, I just LOVE short chapters) and had quite a few surprises. Great book, excellent and creative plot that was well told.

I’m not sure how much more I can add to all the praise that’s already been heaped on this book, except to say that it is epic in every sense of the word: in scope, in depth of character, and in storytelling. And that’s without mentioning Whitaker’s soaring, poetic prose. I may have been late getting to the party, but I boogied my heart out all the same. All the Colors of the Dark is a tale of small-town tragedy, obsession, resilience, loyalty, and enduring hope and friendship. Spanning several decades, it explores the aftermath of a single event and the ripple effect it has both on those directly involved and on their small community, forever changing the paths of multiple lives. For this reason, it also has a deep vein of sadness running through it. The three main protagonists — Patch, Saint and Misty, whom we first meet as young teenagers — are exquisitely drawn, their destinies inextricably linked from the moment Patch saves Misty from a would-be abductor. Then there’s Grace, Patch’s saviour and all-consuming obsession. Is she real or a figment of his fevered imagination? At close to 600 pages, this is a chunky book and impossible to pigeon hole into a single genre; it’s so much more than a straightforward thriller or mystery and as delicately layered as the finest mille-feuille. Whitaker’s storytelling is masterful, the plot complex, sleek and taut, save for a brief loss of momentum in the middle, which passes soon enough, when the twists start coming thick and fast. As intricate and clever the plotting, however, this for me was still very much a character-driven novel. I became completely invested in Patch, Saint and Misty, in their complicated dynamic as well as their individual journeys, trials and tribulations. The sadness of their stories affected me deeply; the unrequited love, the lost opportunities, the lives stolen. They will live in my heart for a long time to come.

There just aren’t enough words to explain how much I loved this book. Yes, it was long, but I devoured every single word, sometimes even rereading passages just to make sure I caught every detail. This review is going to be all over the place because I just finished it, and I’m still a mess. Honestly, there’s no way to sum it up; too much happens in this story for that. The twists and turns still have me reeling. The ending made me cry and completely took my breath away. This is a masterpiece, easily one of my favorite books of the year so far, and maybe even in my top five of all time. I already know I’ll reread it at least once. The way the author brought each character to life was brilliant, and the storyline went in directions I never expected, which made it completely unique for me. This book had everything: heartbreaking moments, laugh-out-loud scenes, parts that made me so angry I had to put the book down, and passages that made me stop and ask myself, What would I do in this situation? It truly covered the full range of emotions. Saint and Patch will forever be two of my favorite characters. This story is going to stay with me for a long time. The way the author wove everything together was nothing short of amazing, raising the bar for what I’d call a complex, unforgettable tale. I’m glad I have the hardcover for my shelf, but I’ll also be picking up a paperback (my favorite) or the Kindle edition for an easier reread. Now, off to see how many more books I can get my hands on by this author. :)

Again a Master piece by the Author. The story, quitely told and beautifully written holds you in suspense throughout.

A must read, no question. It will break you but in the best way. Like every Chris Whitaker book I have read, All the Colours of the Dark is a slow burn until it grabs you and then it really grabs you. It is one of those stories that burrows deep, breaking your heart and piecing it back together, only to do it all over again. More than once, I found myself tearing up . Yes, the plot is far-fetched. Only in America could you believe something like this would actually happen. But that is beside the point. What makes this book extraordinary is the raw emotion, the humanity that Whitaker writes with so effortlessly. The passages I highlighted are the heart of the story. Like when Patch, with his small clenched fists, throws the first punch because Saint is all he has got. And when she thinks, I am all you will need. This is the core of this book. Love, loyalty and how people hold each other up even in the darkest times. Then there is the aching wisdom woven throughout. People mistake money for class, anger for strength. How grief changes you, how memories live in people, not places. And that gut punch of a line. Love is a visitor. Because, in Whitaker's world, love is not always permanent, but it is always worth having. And let us not forget the way he captures loss, not just of people, but of self. Saint wanted to ask what it was like to lose the thing that defined you. But perhaps she knew. That line lingers because so much of this book is about identity, about the way life chips away at us but sometimes also rebuilds us. Patch’s art, his desperate attempt to paint someone back into existence, is one of the most devastating yet beautiful parts of the novel. The way he tries to bring Grace back with colour, even when he does not quite know how, is Whitaker at his finest, turning grief into something you can almost see. A must read, no question. It will break you but in the best way.