Unfortunately, I just could not get in to All the Colours of the Dark at all. I found it to be a slow over long read with not much happening at all. I also didn't particularly like the characters so didn't care much what happened to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

This book is a marathon not a sprint and, as such, the pacing does get a little slow in the middle third. But, please believe me when I say that, if you can stick with it, it does get there in the end and, you will be rewarded. Although, that said, I thought one of the main twists was a bit obvious so I probably wasn't as shocked as I could have been. Although, I could have been wrong!
We start with two misfit kids who, as misfit kids are wont to be, are drawn together. Joseph "Patch" Macauley fancies himself as a pirate. Well, he has a head start being as he only has one eye and wears an eyepatch! He lives with his mother who has never got over the death of his father. And then there's Saint Brown, who lives with her Grandmother, her Grandfather having not long since died. She keeps bees and makes honey! They are just beginning to rub along nicely together, their friendship getting tight, when Patch comes across one of his schoolmates who looks to be being abducted. He intervenes and gets taken instead. While he is being held captive he bonds with a fellow detainee, Grace, who tells him tales about her life, describing everything, despite the fact that they are both completely in the dark.
Long (very long actually) story short and, after he escapes, there is no sign of Grace. She has vanished. Some say she is a figment of his imagination, his psyche protecting him from the isolation. But he insists she was real, is real, and it becomes his life's work to find her...
And so begins a story set over many decades, following Patch and Saint as their lives connect, intersect, and diverge... It's a story of love, of obsession, of hope and fear. And all things in between.
And yes, it is a story that doesn't half go on and on and on! But, although it has its slower moments, even though on occasion I really wanted to just skip to the end to see if what I though about a few things was right, I held my nerve, trusted in the author (well he hasn't be wrong yet) and cracked on. And I was rewarded. Very much so. So much that I am going to get the audiobook and revisit Patch and Saint, and all the other wonderful characters I met along the way. Most of whom I can't mention here as I might spoil things, but I will give a nod to Chief Nix, the why I have to withhold!
Anyway, all in all, a slow burn of a plodder of a book which contains the most wonderful story spanning many decades, which is so wonderfully told by some of the best characters. This author really is the real deal, and I am definitely now itching to see what he delivers for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This isn’t a crime/police procedural serial killer/child abduction book but it is a book written with literary skill (despite the poor formatting on the kindle download I received as an ARC). The characters of Patch and Saint are well described and we embark on their life of friendship, love, soul searching and honour which isn’t always smooth - actually just like real life. The story drew me in at the beginning but I admit to be a little overwhelmed by the size of the book. However I’m so pleased I put aside my worries as towards the end I was staying up late to read further. I really like Saint’s grandma, Norma and Patch’s extremely quirky friend, Sammy. The descriptions of places, feelings, art and relationships were exquisite and there were many sentences I had to reread over and over, just enjoying the skill of Chris Whitaker’s penmanship.

How can a review of a few hundred words, do justice to a book of this magnitude? I’m not sure I can, but I shall try.

In 1975, we meet two teenagers, Patch and Saint. Both are viewed as misfits, with unconventional home lives. Their difference bonds them, building a life long friendship, of a strength most would envy. This loyalty is tested and stretched, when Patch hears someone in distress, but then becomes the victim himself, he is taken. Thirteen year old Saint refuses to give up on Patch, to write off her friend, to say goodbye.

Thanks to Saint’s dogged determination, Patch is found, but he is altered, understandably. Patch becomes single minded in his search for Grace, who was his only solace during the very dark months of his captivity. Nothing else matters, seemingly not even Saint.

This book has been described as epic, and I can’t agree more. It is epic in all conceivable ways, in it’s length, and also in terms of all it encompasses. The huge distances and sacrifices made by Patch, every human emotion and all of humanity are examined.

The characterisation is second to none, they are flawed, perfectly imperfect. The relationships are complex and fluid, as their situations evolve; but the love is a constant presence.

As I finished this beautiful book, I had a smile on my lips, and a lump in my throat. Having traveled alongside Saint and Patch for many decades, I shall miss them greatly. This is the most exquisite love story, but not in any conventional way, loyalty and love are stretched in every imaginable way.

This is such a devastatingly wonderful book, I absolutely adored it. I’m sure it will feature in many people’s books of the year list, mine included. The last few words of this book are perfect, so fitting. Bravo Chris Whitaker.

'Saint wanted to ask what it was like, to lose the thing that defined you. But perhaps she knew: it left you someone else.'

This is a story full of sacrifice. Patch sacrifices his life to find Grace (who he lay in the darkness with during the time he was kidnapped and held), and Saint (his best friend) sacrifices her life to set Patch free by journeying a different way to find Grace. But there are so many more sacrifices than this, even sad ones coming to light at the very end of the book from unexpected characters. This writing is quite different from what I'm used to and the chapters much shorter. I found it weird at first, but I soon adapted.

After Patch's rescue, he discovers art and paints beautiful portraits of what he believes Grace to look like and of other missing girls. I could see them come to life in my head. I love how he saw in paint shades. The one thing I would have loved added to this book is an artist recreating those paintings to add to the pages.

Even though this book has a standout plot, I can't help feeling that it's the characters who really make it what it is. I felt strong empathy for Saint, wanting her to find true happiness instead of putting it aside to do whatever she could to help Patch. A brave, strong, determined lady who deserved more. But even characters I thought I'd dislike I ended up loving.

This book is truly a journey, one with many twists and emotional moments. And as with life, not everyone gets what they want or the life they deserve or dreamed to have. This feels like a love story between Patch and Saint, even if a very different one from what I would have wanted for them and a different sort of love to what Saint desires. I can't help wondering if that would have been different had Patch not been kidnapped.

'The shrink they make me see, she taps her pencil and frowns at me. And she talks about how we construct our ideals out of our own past mistakes. And I wonder what exactly a mistake is. A thing we should not have done, right? But if learning is built on trial and error there can be no mistakes, only rungs on a ladder to someplace better.'

DRC: Thanks to NetGalley, Chris Whitaker and Orion.

All The Colours of the Dark is a beautiful book. This is a strange thing to say, because a lot of what is in this book is not beautiful at all. But Chris Whitaker’s writing is sublime. He paints characters like a chiaroscuro master. Over 590 pages, he treats you to characters whose lives you follow with intense focus because they are so captivating.

I read this book on holiday and in the midst of beautiful Costa Rican country, I found myself crying snottery tears because these characters had become so well known to me that when the book ended I was, quite simply, overwhelmed with emotion.

If Chris Whitaker paints his characters like a master, then he also creates his prose like a poet, never becoming obscure or difficult to comprehend, but just the same conveying his story through writing that sparkles and sings to the reader. It is a heady combination and it really, really works. This is a piece of remarkable literary fiction and it surpasses anything else of his that I have read – and I have loved all his other books.

In All The Colours of The Dark Chris Whitaker has written a book that spans more than 25 years and follows the lives of Joseph “Patch” Macauley and his best friend, Saint Brown. Set in the Ozarks which in 1976 comprised some of the most concentrated districts of white poverty; some of the poorest counties west of the Mississippi. Patch is one of those dirt poor kids, isolated and bullied by other kids. Saint is his only friend and the two are inseparable.

One day, on the way to school, 13 year old Patch sees a man attacking a girl and he intervenes and saves her, but in so doing, he sacrifices something of himself. This becomes a pivotal point in his young life, but also in Saint’s who spares no shoe leather in her search to get to Patch. Her steadfastness and determination mean that she would, if required, go to the ends of the earth to find her best friend. In later life, she makes a choice that determines she will always do so.


As we follow the lives of Patch, Saint and Misty, the girl he saved, we see the consequences of all their actions and how their lives and their life choices have been impacted by Patch’s action that day. Though they were but children, they and the people around them made choices as a consequence of that day that would complicate their lives forever.

So far, so heart-warming, but Patch leads a sad and impoverished life, much of the time ignored, uncared for and used pretty much as slave labour. And yet there’s something about his character that allows him to find solace in the small things, while he has his own agenda and his own search to mount.

While there is certainly a mystery to solve and even a nice bit of police procedure here and there, this is essentially a love story. The story of a love that lasts forever, however far apart the people are. It is the story of an enduring bond of friendship that makes its own choices, however foolish or criminal they may be.

Along the way we will embrace and enjoy the smells and sounds of the Missouri countryside, meet characters who stay in the mind, even if they are not with us for the two and a half decades this saga encompasses. In the end though our hearts will be full and our emotions overwhelmed (hence the snottery tears). And if this sounds over the top, believe me, it isn’t. It’s the depth of this narrative that holds it all together so incredibly well.

Verdict: This book is a masterpiece. I loved it so much. Part mystery, part coming of age; full of heartache, cruelty, and disappointments: ultimately this book is both uplifting and heart-warming. How can it warm your heart and break it at the same time, you ask? I don’t know quite what magic Mr Whitaker employs, but trust me, it works. This is a book that everyone should read.

I am a big fan of Chris Whitaker and this book did not disappoint. As usual, it is beautifully written and teeming with emotion. The story of Patch and Saint broke my heart, mended it and broke it again. Chris Whitaker has a gift when it comes to create and immerse the reader in the lives of people populating American small towns. It's a book I will be recommending to everyone I know.

I was looking forward to reading "All the Colours of the Dark" by Chris Whitaker, as judging by the reviews this was going to be an epic read. Unfortunately, I think I must have read a different book to other readers as it just didn't work for me.

I believe the main problem lies in the writing style, it's verbose. The descriptions are lovely and sometimes beautiful but, for me they overtook the story and prevented me from sinking into it.

This book is a long one with 600 pages and pacing issues. Don't get me wrong I love a slow burn but this was painfully slow in the middle and if I'm honest, a chore to get through.

The chapters are short, and being a long book there are 261 of them. I usually like short chapters as they make the pace feel faster, but it just added to the confusion, with changing POVs each chapter and time jumps.

I did enjoy the beginning of the book and it did all come together at the end. However if I'd have known it was more literary drama rather than being listed as mystery/thriller I wouldn't have picked it to read.

Thank you Orion Publishing for providing me with an ARC to read and review

Wow! This is some story from Chris Whitaker as he brings a story that fits no specific genre. It’s not quite crime anyway.

Beautifully and elegantly written ,this literary thriller, I’ll call it, is a special read. Weighing in at nearly 600 pages but with 250 odd chapters to ease that heavy burden, Chris Whitaker envelopes us into his heart moving story which has elements of both sadness and happiness. I guess that’s just life in a whole.

A tale very much about its cast of characters as much as the story itself. And a story that whilst often very gently paced, also has a sense of haste when the time is right.

After We Begin at the End, Whitaker always had a hard act to follow, and whilst I don’t think I love this in the way I did that particularly story, this is no doubt an epic piece of storytelling from a supremely talented author.

Experience so many kinds of love with All the Colours of the Dark

Chris Whitaker's All the Colours of the Dark is a beautifully composed blend of mystery, thriller, and epic love story that will leave readers captivated from the first page to the last.

Whitaker excels in crafting unforgettable, nuanced characters whose flaws and strengths make them deeply human. The relationships in this book are winding and complex, reflecting the real intricacies of life and love. Saint's pursuit of justice and Patch's search for Grace create a narrative that is heart-wrenching and layered, filled with both devastation and resolution.

The novel's twists are expertly woven, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The profound emotional impact of the story, combined with its intricate plot and beautifully flawed characters, makes All the Colours of the Dark a truly remarkable read.

Despite the book wrapping up so thoroughly, my heart aches for the characters who didn't get their conventional happily ever after.

Chris Whitaker has created a haunting, epic tale that lingers long after the final page. This book is not just a thriller; it is a deeply moving exploration of love in its many forms. An unforgettable read that will stay with you for a very long time.

My first Chris Whitaker book and, definitely, not the last. It seems wrong, yet fitting, to call this book a beautiful gut punch. Such detail and descriptive power is sure to leave a mark on the reader and linger long after the last page has been read. I can tell this will be a chaotic review, and apologise, but the process of unpicking the story, thinking about the ramifications for the characters and working through my own emotions is still underway. Needless to say, I loved this novel and my time in Monta Clare.

What a literary force Chris Whitaker is! I haven't read a novel with such emotional heft in some time. This story of young friends, poor Patch and orphaned Saint, growing beyond their turbulent childhood in 1970s Missouri caught me unaware with its beautifully painted, vivid picture. There is a high level of description that drops the reader into the time and place with artful ease. My senses came alive with the text and I felt a longing for life in America that I haven't felt before. A bittersweet nostalgia for a sense of community in a simpler time and place as seen through a child's eyes. An innocent age, though painful at times to behold, worth cherishing. Perfectly captured. I could not foresee where life would take Patch and Saint and willingly submitted to a journey that delivered a full spectrum of heartache, disappointment, joy, laughter and tears. It was entirely worth it.

Chris Whitaker has turned into an extraordinary storyteller as he proves with his latest, arresting, and finest multi-genre literary novel, with his incredible ability when it comes to sketching unforgettable, subtle, nuanced, and flawed characters that he develops with verve, vibrancy, breathing life into them. I would advise settling into this, knowing as little as possible, and be prepared for a real epic treat. Joseph 'Patch' Macauley is a impoverished, imaginative, one eyed 13 year old boy with a penchant for stealing, a pirate whose best friend is the beekeeper Saint Brown, living in small town Monta Clare, Missouri. It is 1975, Patch sees beautiful rich girl Misty being taken by a serial killer, and unthinkingly steps in, telling her to run, his bloodied t-shirt later found but his body gone. This act is to change a town and its inhabitants, with a desperate Saint who never gives up searching for him, becoming a constant presence in Chief Nix's life.

It is Saint who is instrumental in discovering a Patch who had spent so long in the dark, often accompanied by Grace, who opens his eyes to the world, including the arts and literature, an intimate relationship that he will never be free of, becoming obsessively driven, nothing else matters. Few recognise the boy who has returned, not Saint who joins his hunt for the 'lost girls', nor Misty who cannot forget him, as she wonders how can she possibly compete with a ghost. Patch feels his way through the dark until he can see what he has never seen, painting Grace, supported by the often drunk art gallery owner, Sammy. An artistic talent that will see him become the Pirate of Manhattan. Saint is determined to find Grace for him, but will she lose herself in the process? Through the decades, an anguished Patch travels, a scream into the void, the challenge of so much loss it cannot be counted, doubting himself, but plunging onwards, building the Mad House.

To face the past is to turn away from a present which you unavoidable miss. Patch is to find solace in coming to understand his life has not been wasted, chasing Grace had allowed him to live, whilst there is immeasurable growth in a Saint who never once stops loving him. There are some completely unexpected twists and turns, but what crowns this into a poignant, harrowing, heartbreaking, yet beguiling uplifting read are the supporting cast that includes the magnificent Nix, Sammy, Nora, Charlotte, and Mrs Meyer. This is a true favourite of mine this year, one that should not be missed! Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

3/3.5*
I am a bit conflicted as to what I want to say about this book.
In some places the writing is superb, in others I have to re-read sentences or even paragraphs to work out what is going on.
There are a number of plot threads which interweave through the book and are revealed almost layer by layer towards the end; but on the other hand made the flow of the story quite confusing in places.
And whilst it is very ‘literary’ to have characters speak cryptically I often felt, ‘who actually talks like that?’
I was drawn into the story at the start, but after the first 200 pages or so, found myself continually checking the page count, as the middle section was very, very slow and long. Every so often I thought the story was starting to wind up, only to realise there were many pages to go. But the final third was very good; there was excitement, pace, and clever twists, with some great touches of humour and perhaps a wee homage to the Shawshank Redemption. But I never fully bought into the reason why it took Patch so long to learn the truth.
Overall, I liked it, and was glad I’d pushed through the mid-section as I did like the ending.

I loved, loved this book. Was so totally invested in Saint and Patch's story. It's one of obsession in the face of trauma, friendship and support in the aftermath despite everything. Patch is his own worst enemy but discovering his art gives him some release - the ability to paint missing girls helps him on his quest to find Grace the girl he spent such a long time locked in the dark with in the basement, the girl who helped him find All the Colours of the Dark. Saint has her own troubles too but is faithful in her support of Patch as he travels the country in search of Grace, obsessed and single minded, by hook or by crook, even landing himself in jail for the cause.
The novel follows Patch and Saint through the decades from 13 year old pirate to their old age. Sensitive but brutal, touching but intense - this book will stay with you much longer than you expect.

There are simply no words adequate to do justice to this astonishing novel. From page one I was mesmerised and across one weekend I became completely lost in the epic saga of Patch and his best friend Saint. The characterisation is sublime, the plot is a masterclass in storytelling and the ending will break you. It's incredible to think Whitaker is a British writer who has only occasionally visited the States – if I didn't know that, I'd be calling him one of the greatest American novelists to emerge in the last thirty years! I cannot stop thinking about Patch and Saint and I know they are going to stay with me for a long time. Definitely my favourite novel of 2024 so far and honestly one of the best novels I've ever read.

I found this book to be very slow. The beginning started off well and kept me interested. However, somewhere along the way the story fell flat, I kept picking the book up though, waiting for something to happen but nothing much did.

I did read to the end, it took me a long time (something that also tells me I didn’t enjoy picking it up as much as others).

Unfortunately I just didn’t enjoy the story but I have read some amazing reviews on here so I am one of the few who found it to be long and drawn out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'll be honest, I don't know where to begin with this review. I finished it last night and I'm still reeling from it! But I'll give it a go.

I think it's fair to say that there are some 'tried and tested ingredients' in all of Chris Whitaker's books - small town America, the police chief, parents who fail their children, the teens who don't fit in the regular high school box. These may be the bare bones but the layering of the story, characterisation, sense of place and the incredibly beautiful language, turn it into something unique and magical. I've not found anyone else who writes teenagers the way Chris Whitaker does. But this time, he goes further than he has done with his other novels and the teenagers grow up. Yet they don't lose their identity. The Saint Brown we have at the end of the book is still the determined teenager she was at the beginning, refusing to give up on Patch. And Patch will forever be a pirate.

Having read all of Whitaker's books, I've seen his writing style develop. The American voice has always been there but it now flows with even more fluidity, the literary language rich and dense in detail. As I read it, I heard Matthew McConaughey's voice in my head. This is a big book but I read it slowly, taking in the words, absorbing the story. And the twists are less of a 'surprise' moment and more a slow meandering, like a river, set up early but only truly visible as you go round the bend.

I wondered how Chris Whitaker was going to top 'We Begin At The End' and this is how he's done it. Destined to be one of the greatest American storytellers without actually being American. Extraordinary.

There are no words for how good this book is. The prose. The characters. The plot. It is without doubt the book of the year and I will never forget it.

I could not get into this book at all. The author vertainly can write superb descriptions but these overtook the main essence of the story. It certainly was not a mystery thriller which was how it was advertised and this therefore disappointed me. The two main characters Patch and Saint were not likeable and I could not relate to them at all. As someone who has lived out in the USA I found that the whole story was not reflective of life out there. it seemed all made up but meant to be sound, i found this distracting.
A slow read that was not captivating for me.

All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.
Publication date: June 25th/ 16th July.#

This is the book of Summer 2024. An epic tale set over decades, full of heart and a sliver of suspense and mystery. Love, art, a pirate , a beekeeper and a serial killer , a small town and an enduring friendship. The characters take centre stage over the plot yet I wouldn't categorise this book as literary fiction, while they were lines within that resonated deeply, this isn't a book that will have you marvelling over sentence structure or make you think because you will be swept up in the story and these characters. This is proper wonderful storytelling, an extraordinary story which unfolds over 25 years. Of course I approached this book with my standard level of skepticism as I approach everything in life but that was knocked from me and I was suspended from reality and captivated by this book from the first page until the last, close to 600 pages to get wholly lost in.

The book opens in small town in Missouri in 1975,Saint and Patch are best friends navigating teenage life, local girls have been going missing and when the daughter of a local wealthy family is targeted , Patch saves her and this event shapes the lives of both Patch, Saint and many of the residents of this small town with the effects rippling into decades ahead. There is bleakness and darkness in this book balanced with resonating hope. There is loss and sadness and so much love. While at times I could guess where the plot was going, this didn't disappoint me just made me turn the pages even faster. Well paced with short chapters and great dialogue, this book was impossible to put down.

If you loved Whitaker's We Begin At The End ( which I did) you too will love every word of this one and these characters. Epic, sweeping, bleak, beautiful storytelling, the perfect summer read.