All the Colours of the Dark: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller – ‘a wonderful book’ (Richard Osman)

This novel is absolutely gripping from start to finish, spanning over three decades as it follows the unforgettable lives of Patch and Saint.The story is filled with raw emotion—moments of heartbreak that linger long after you’ve put the book down, flashes of anger that make your pulse quicken, and twists so sharp they’ll give you whiplash. Whitaker masterfully balances tender humanity with shocking revelations, keeping you on edge while also deeply invested in the characters’ journeys.It’s a powerful, heart-wrenching, and brilliantly told story that showcases Whitaker’s ability to weave together suspense and soul. A great read all around, and one I would highly recommend.

All the Colours of the Dark is, without question, one of the most powerful and unforgettable books I have ever read. It’s the kind of story that grabs your soul, twists it into something new, and leaves a lasting imprint long after the final page.This novel is everything at once: a poignant coming-of-age tale, a heartbreaking love story, and a gripping, emotional thriller. The writing is breathtaking—lyrical without ever losing clarity, rich with emotion without feeling overwrought. Every word feels carefully chosen, every chapter masterfully woven into a tapestry of pain, hope, and resilience.Patch and Saint are the heart of this story, and their connection is something rare—achingly beautiful and painfully real. Patch’s abduction and the darkness he endures are harrowing, yet through it all, there’s a glimmer of light: the mysterious girl whose unseen presence becomes his salvation. The way their lives intertwine over decades is both epic and deeply personal, and the emotional payoff is staggering.This is a novel that doesn’t shy away from darkness, but it also refuses to let go of love. It's about loss, trauma, healing, and what it means to truly find someone—and yourself. I cried, I held my breath, and I felt every beat of this story in my chest.All the Colours of the Dark is more than just a book—it’s an experience. A haunting, life-altering journey I’ll carry with me forever. If you read one book this year, let it be this one.

It's a good read, not a brilliant one.I mostly enjoyed this book. I don't think it was outstanding and definitely not as good as the reviews, but it was an interesting read.I like the writing style, although sometimes had to reread because of the sentence structure (no problem, I like anything a bit unusual).The characters felt more believable in the first section than further on - possibly because they were more likeable then.I'd class this as a good beach read - nothing taxing, decent plot, mostly interesting characters.

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.

All the Colours of Dark is all kinds of everything, a work of art. It’s a cracking mystery thriller with lots of surprising twists. It’s a love story. It’s a coming-of-age classic. It’s got brilliant plot and character development and lyrical descriptions of location. It’s poetry in motion. It’s funny and heartbreakingly sad. It makes you smile and brings a tear to your eye. It’s shocking, disturbing and thought-provoking. It’s clever, credible and creepy. It’s evocative, entertaining and extraordinary. The pictures the author paints with words are as beautiful, hypnotic and breathtaking as Patch’s physical paintings. I was hooked from page 1 to page 576, totally immersed in the lives of one and all, major and minor, good and bad, warts and all. The thirteen-year old pirate and the beekeeper that saved his life will stay with me until I join Patch and Saint on their epic journey next time.