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A review by jenbsbooks
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
4.5
So much buzz surrounding this one (as is often the case with one of the popular "bookclub" picks) ... I had a bit of a wait getting it in from the library. I really didn't know anything about it going in (other than it was long). I'd heard some rave that it was unlike anything they've read. For me, I really liked it, but it was a "saga" story told over years, it didn't seem THAT different from lots of others I've read. Still, 4.5 stars. It kept my interest. There would be lots to discuss in a book club setting (and there were included review questions). Quite a few quotes worth saving. I'd like to say the story will stay with me ... we'll see (I read so many books, it's a little difficult for some to stand out in my memory).
3rd person/past tense ... this switched around mostly between two POVs, that of Saint and Patch. There were 10 sections; 1. The Pirate and the Beekeeper (1975) 2. The Lovers, The Dreamers (1975), The Painter (1976), The Broken Hearts (1978), Cops and Robbers (1982), The Hunt (1983), Fate (1990), The Break (1995), The Prisoner (1998), Myths and Legends (2001). There were 261 chapters total ... that's a lot (the book was almost 600 pages) but the chapters were short (which was helpful as I was primarily going with the audiobook, but at times wanted to reference something in the text. It was pretty easy to switch between formats). Beyond the listed dates, there were times of reflection which would flashback to some earlier times. Most were in italics in the text editions, but the audio was still pretty easy to distinguish (when Patch was with Grace, or when Saint was with a younger Patch).
The blurb states this is "A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each" and that is a pretty good summary without getting into spoiler territory. I wasn't too far off in my suspicions for one of the twists. A couple others caught me by surprise.
I liked the theme of darkness, and seeing, that ran through the book.
ProFanity x 79. Some slight mentions of sex/rape, nothing explicit.
3rd person/past tense ... this switched around mostly between two POVs, that of Saint and Patch. There were 10 sections; 1. The Pirate and the Beekeeper (1975) 2. The Lovers, The Dreamers (1975), The Painter (1976), The Broken Hearts (1978), Cops and Robbers (1982), The Hunt (1983), Fate (1990), The Break (1995), The Prisoner (1998), Myths and Legends (2001). There were 261 chapters total ... that's a lot (the book was almost 600 pages) but the chapters were short (which was helpful as I was primarily going with the audiobook, but at times wanted to reference something in the text. It was pretty easy to switch between formats). Beyond the listed dates, there were times of reflection which would flashback to some earlier times. Most were in italics in the text editions, but the audio was still pretty easy to distinguish (when Patch was with Grace, or when Saint was with a younger Patch).
The blurb states this is "A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each" and that is a pretty good summary without getting into spoiler territory. I wasn't too far off in my suspicions for one of the twists. A couple others caught me by surprise.
I liked the theme of darkness, and seeing, that ran through the book.
ProFanity x 79. Some slight mentions of sex/rape, nothing explicit.