Book Review: All the Colors of Darkness by Peter Robinson

 

Written by Safa Alhassan 

All the Colours of Darkness by Peter Robinson has to be the most boring book I’ve ever read. Have you ever read a book so frustrating you felt like stoning the author with it? Yes, that was me the whole time. Because how in the world would I be trying to get out of a reading slump, and you're pushing me right back in? I was genuinely offended. I had to sit myself down and ask, “What exactly is going on here?”

I realised I was forcing this book on myself and I wasn’t even enjoying it. I changed my reading nooks countless times, just in case the problem was with the location. At some point, I had to start the book all over again because I dropped it for a while and, by the time I picked it back up, I’d already forgotten half the story.

It’s about a suicide and a murder involving two men. The police are trying to connect the two events and find out what actually happened and who the culprits are. Now, that part is interesting, because there’s a mystery to be solved. But what I didn’t like was the storytelling style. The story is narrated through other characters’ perspectives. So basically, a secondhand story where you're not witnessing events directly, but hearing them through someone else. It just didn’t make sense to me. I kept reading, waiting for the author to finally take control and narrate the story as it is, not through hearsay. It got so tiring, I gave up trying to figure out the book. I honestly didn’t enjoy it.

Now, this is just my perspective. Maybe others will enjoy it, but it just wasn’t for me. I’ve always known I’m the kind of reader who doesn’t compromise on her standards.

That said, the best thing about this book is that I own a signed copy from the author. It’s also a hardback and you already know how I feel about hardbacks, especially when the font is big enough not to stress my eyes. It looks really good on my library shelf, and I guess that’s a win. But apart from that? Meh.