If We Were Villains
Ratings449
Average rating4
βYou can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.β
So directly in my wheelhouse: pretentious art kids + a fancy, remote college + murder. Entertaining.
After reading and enjoying Donna Tartt's The Secret History, I went looking for another book with a similar setting and plot. This book was recommended by several Booktubers, so I decided to give a go. This book ranks as one of my favorites of the year. I absolutely love it. The characters, plot, setting, conflicts, themes - it's all top notch. It's dark academia at its best.
In this book, the main character Oliver is just being released after serving ten years of a prison sentence for murder. He was convicted of murdering a fellow acting student, but the cop from the case has doubts about his guilt. Upon his release, he returns to the school where the murder occurred and tells the true story of what happened there ten years before.
There are so many things that are done well in this book. I'll start with the setting. The story takes place at a prestigious art college where aspiring actors study and perform Shakespearean plays. Shakespeare becomes a constant player in their lives, so much so that they quote him in their daily conversations. I love this aspect of the novel because I am a huge Shakespeare fan. The seven fourth year students also live together and spend all their time together, which contributes to the complex relationships and the conflicts that develop.
Rio's characters are expertly developed in this book. While they appear to fit the mold of Shakespeare's characters (hero, villain, seductress, sidekick, etc.), they are much more complex than they seem. The relationship between Oliver and James is especially well-written. Each character has just enough mystery surrounding him/her to make it plausible that any one of them could be a murderer. It makes for a very interesting dynamic.
The plot structure is probably the best aspect of this novel. The story is structured like a Shakespearean tragedy with five acts. Each act has a prologue that is set in the present day after Oliver's release from prison. The act then flashes back to the events of ten years prior, the acting students' senior year. Anyone who knows about the structure of a Shakespearean tragedy (plot elements in each act) will enjoy how well Rio mimics that structure.
This book is intelligent and original. It captured my interest immediately and never let go. M.L. Rio deserves a standing ovation for this one!
I enjoyed this book enough to stay up until 4am reading it. The mystery and intrigue and definitely there, though the flamboyance and speech of the characters is a bit distracting at times. Not quite The Secret History that it was attempting to be, but a good book to read if you enjoy dark academia.
3,5 sterretjes
Ondanks het feit dat de vele Shakespeare quotes en dialogen het lezen voor mij vertraagde en soms bemoeilijkte, heb ik toch genoten van dit boek. En veel bijgeleerd ook.
Een echte tragedie verpakt in een mysterie, omzwachteld in een detective.
Oliver and his six friends are in their last year of school at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. All seven are actors in training who do nothing but Shakespearean plays. If We Were Villains is told ten years later, as Oliver is released from prison, and with Oliver recounting to the officer who investigated his crime the truth of what happened ten years earlier.
I listened to this book on tape during thirteen hours of driving. It felt interminably long, with huge passages of unnecessary detail, characters who were tedious and obnoxious, and incessant lines of Shakespeare.
β''Tis now dead midnight.'' Measure for Measure, Act 4, Scene 2
Why midnight?Midnight stands between light and darkness. The day that has been completed and the new one that slowly attempts to rise. During midnight, two key events take place in this glorious book, and like this haunting time of day, our characters are walking the thin line between good and evil. And for this, they make the best β'villains''.
This book is so exquisite,so darkly beautiful that I didn't want it to end. What fascinated me more was the fact that it is not only an ode to the immortal genius that is Shakespeare, but a hymn to the significance and immense value of the Villain. Well-written villains are the crown jewels in Literature and a large majority of readers find them absolutely fascinating as they have shaped -and continue shaping- Literature and Theatre. Shakespeare's villains, in particular, are the core of his greatest plays. Is Macbeth a villain? Or Shylock? What about Brutus or Edmund? Or Iago who seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities?
In M.L.Rio's novel, we have seven four-year students that are about to graduate and become actors in the real world. A tragic event following a short period of intense feelings causes their world to tumble down. Passions and hidden animosity come forward and the villains become victims and the victims are turned to villains on their own freewill.
β'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.'' Macbeth, Act 4 , Scene 1
M.L. Rio manages to use and refer to every play by the Bard and some of his sonnets, but there are four plays which shape the narrative.Macbeth, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet. Each one serves a different purpose and Rio works them in the story masterfully. Wicked deeds are set in motion when a member of this fellowship loses the sense of right and wrong, and as in Julius Caesar, the battle between friends and the acts that can be considered treasonous consist the essence of the entire story. The theme of problematic friendship is present in Macbeth as well, where Macbeth turns against his loyal friend, Banquo, guided by ambition and a misleading wish for power. Perhaps, Macbeth is the play most presented and quoted in the novel, something that contributes to its foreboding beauty. There is a sequence of a production of the Scottish Play, set during the night of Halloween, in the darkness, outdoors. It is among the most beautiful and most powerful depictions I've ever read or watched. Theatre directors should definitely consult Rio before they attempt to deal with Macbeth. I'd dare to say that the Bard himself would certainly embrace it. It is an eerie, haunting scene, an exaltation of Will's masterpiece.
β'Believe none of us.'' Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1
Yes, the seven friends are among the most interesting characters you'll come across. They are not to be trusted, or believed, but you must care for them. Richard is wild, possessive, the male star of the company.Wren is delicate and shy, the Ophelia of the group. Alexander doesn't really know what to do with his life, James knows what to do but is too afraid to do it. The three most interesting characters are Oliver, Meredith and Filipa.Meredith is my spirit animal. Fierce, demanding, questioning everything, but sensitive and always uncertain of herself and her abilities. I love her! Filipa is a beautiful soul, loyal, tender, the rock that keeps everyone solid, struggling for them to retain their sanity. Oliver is the heat of the story, he is kindness and innocence and the proof that there is still some good in this world that cannot be destroyed. Poor Oliver...
The writing is exceptional! Oliver's speech on the essence of Shakespeare is the best I've ever read. The whole spirit of the Bard enclosed in a short paragraph, better than any collection of academic essays. Modern language interacts with Shakespeare's immortal lines in a brilliant flow of speech.
There are so many incredible twists, so much insight into the human soul. What about lies? Lies that are used to protect loved ones? Lies that we have taken for granted for all our lives? Who is the villain?Shakespeare knew human nature better than any psychologist. He knew that there is no clear line between a villain and victim. Just as it often happens in real life. And this is so beautifully transferred in Rio's marvelous novel that makes one wonder whether we actually know where our β'good'' self end and the β'bad'' begins. This duality is a never-ending battle...
This is a beautiful, moving book, created with darkness, strife and sensitivity. Read it and see for yourselves...
''When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?'β''When the hurlyburly's done. When the battle's lost and won.'β Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1