Review of All the Colors of the Dark

Review about All the Colors of the Dark

Well, I just finished the book All the Colors of the Dark and boy, what a ride. This story really drew me in and I thought I would take some time to jot down some initial thoughts before they escaped me.

The Plot: A Web of Secrets

This tale is about the small town with a history of murder and crime, a place that people like to forget, where everybody has the skeletons in the closet. Even better is the way in which details surface gradually, drawing one more into the plot line of the story. Its like you’re solving the puzzle like detective while building up the structure.

The element that really drew my interest in the novel was how it evolved and was constructed in terms of plot. Sometimes, when you are finally thinking you have it all under your control, something occurs to compel you to rethink. This is the kind of book in which you pick up and read one chapter, then suddenly realize that it has turned into three in the morning telling itself In the past and present relations of the story, it is very well done, it is as if each layer of an onion is peeled and with it come the tears.

Characters: So Real, It’s Almost Scary

The character in this book seem to be so real with all their imperfections. That is just it; they are clumsy, and they even tamper with things, but this is what makes people relate with them. A lot has happened to the main character, and the reader can palpably sense this when diving into the novel. They are not completely infallible, and not all the time as likeable as characters should be, yet that is why they are so interesting. You know their personality from the black and white, to the gray and the dark.


The characters also bade some influences to the depth of the story as well. All characters have their own history, their own motivation and it builds up the story quite naturally from one point to another. This makes them seem almost like people one knows personally; one feels like you could meet them out and about if you wanted to.

The Setting: Creepy but Captivating

This I think is the beauty of the book in which the town effectively becomes almost an anti-character in all the events described in the book. It has this creepy sort of feel that there is something wrong somewhere but you are not exactly sure what it is. It was written in such a way that one can easily imagine the street, the houses, the locations where large ominous occurrences took place. It’s exactly the kind of environment that this story should be set in: small, cut off, and with plenty of skeletons in its closet.


Then again, town’s history is palpable in every chapter where characters are immersed in reality. Maybe it’s where the past is present in a way that hovers over the narrative, and in a way atmospheric is a great descriptor for the story. If you love plots where the background is as critical as the cast, this one covers for it.

Themes: Deep and Thought-Provoking

Unlike many books in the mystery category, this piece is much deeper than just the hard-boiled husk. It very much gets into the show how the past can own you, how difficult it can be to let go and whether or not one can ever really run from their past. Everyone has his problems, and the plot is about how those characters endeavor to solve them or, on the contrary, how they fail to do that.

But there is also this more subtext of light and darkness, the latter that has both the literal and the metaphorical sense in this context. Despite moments when things get as low as they possibly can go, there is always this ray of hope as something in the narrative. It remains a great lesson to continue the struggle despite the circumstances, as even in the worst situation, there is a possibility to notice something good.

The Ending: Worth Every Minute

Looking at the overall picture of this novel, it is worth noting that its ending is just super-duper awesome. It is reasonable, yet one wouldn’t expect that everything is going to fit as correctly as it does in this movie. It is one of those climaxes that leaves you with the impression where you start reflecting on all the points highlighted in the book and how they are connected.


It is important to note that, despite the story ‘going to some dark places’, there was a slightly positive ending to be found. They’re both the kind of ending that make you feel the trip was worth it and I know I’ll be thinking about this one for quite some time.

Final Thoughts

So yeah, if you’re a fan of mystery and suspense with much focus on characters’ personalities and atmosphere of the given story, I’d recommend to read All the Colors of the Dark . After I closed the book, it is one of those books that cannot be forgotten and it is such a type that encourages conversation when two people have read it.

Honestly, I do not remember when a book had such an effect on me as this one did it. In its purest form, it has everything one could ask for in a mystery: hidden things, concealed things, concealed emotions, and concealed intents. If you are thinking about taking it up, ensure you are ready to dedicate some time for it because once you begin reading, you will find it hard to stop.