If We Were Villains: The Sensational TikTok Book Club pick: M.L. Rio

This is a great book! It was delivered 4 days early! In great condition and quality! This book is such a good and interesting read! I highly recommend!

Firstly, I've you've read them both, it's near-impossible to review this book without mentioning its similarities to the Secret History, just with Shakespeare obsessives instead of Classics buffs. The elite school, the murder, the strange cliche, the intense friendships and rivalries and passions...I'll say no more about that in the review, good or bad, but it really is inescapable. Putting that aside and taking the book on its own merits, it's generally a compelling read. The plot is ultimately fairly thin, but it's the sense of place, the characters, and the atmosphere that keep you turning the pages. I particularly liked the elite college with its weird rituals and traditions - it felt as fleshed out and magical as Hogwarts and despite some of the unpleasantness, left me with quite the desire to attend. The characters were basically deliberate archetypes - hero, villain, seductress etc - which was quite a fun idea but rather laboured. The first few chapters spent far too much time spelling out every key character's background and personality rather than letting it come out naturally. The main character and narrator is generally cast as a supporting character, and feels like that's also the role he plays in college life. It was an interesting route to go down and I'm in two minds about whether it helped to make him relatable or whether one of the more flamboyant characters might have made a more compelling lead. I loved the way Shakespeare was woven into the plot, from the way characters behave and the plot plays out, to the way the characters always quote - or sometimes misquote - the bard, and above all, to the way the intensity of performing certain scenes was portrayed. Reading about the characters' experiences of performing and living these scenes bought the plays to life for me more than any theatrical performance I can remember. There's a bit of a dual narrative, with the book starting ten years after most of the action, with the main character newly released from prison for some sort of crime he did or didn't commit while at the college. Most of the proper story is what he's recounting to a now-retired policeman who originally investigated the case. I usually love flashbacks and other non-linear narratives, but I think this would have been best told in straight chronological order. From the present day scenes, it wasn't hard to work out what had happened in the past way before it was shown in the narrative, which killed some of the tension, and it didn't really add any particular twists or revelations. Overall, while this was far from perfect, I'd definitely recommend it.

I’m going to start this by saying that I absolutely, unequivocally, 100% loved and adored this novel. If We Were Villains is reminiscent of two books that are firmly on my, ‘shout about them to everybody’ and ‘why on earth haven’t you read this book?’ lists; The Secret History by Donna Tartt and Black Chalk by Christopher J Yates (both are wonderful, please go and read them). Set within the confines of an elite school and exploring the lives of seven young Shakespeare students who are fully immersed in his world, If We Were Villains ramps up tension through clever wordplay and imagery leading to a great tragedy and betrayal. Oliver, the protagonist, begins the book being released from prison after serving a ten year sentence. He is met by Detective Colborne who put him behind bars and wants to know the truth about the events leading to his incarceration. Through flashbacks divided into Acts we learn about the group’s final year at Dellecher Classical Conservatory and the building claustrophobia that consumed them. Oliver and his friends; Richard, Meredith, Filippa, Alexander, Wren and James are a tight knit group who live, study and act together. They live and breathe Shakespeare; they study him, they act in his plays and their speech is littered with his quotes. They have their own secret language which makes them impenetrable and almost cult like. They are in their final year and each has adopted a role both within their friendship group and on stage; the hero, the villain, the tyrant, the temptress, the ingénue and the extra. Tensions are ramped up when they are assigned roles in Julius Caeser and the pressures of the play spill over into their day-to-day lives dividing them and causing life-changing rifts. M.L. Rio ramps the tension up so well, we know something will happen but we don’t quite know what and there is an overarching sense of impending doom which oozes from the pages. I thought the characters were wonderfully created, each had their own distinctive voice and I loved how their relationships with one another played out. Oliver’s friendship with James for instance was beautifully and subtly written and was one of my favourite parts of the novel. I also really liked that the book was divided into Acts as it helped to drive the action and was a lovely nod to the Shakespearean aspects of the novel. I was astounded to discover that If We Were Villains was a debut book, it is so incredibly well written with beautiful and literary passages that I cannot stop thinking about. The Romeo and Juliet play for example was exquisite, moving and emotional and I was gripped. The use of the play’s words to communicate everything that cannot be said in real life was astounding and some of the passages were incredibly delicate, elegant and erotic. I have to say that this book really appealed to my English Literature background and geeky Shakespeare love. I am by no means an expert at all, and whilst I think this book could be read and enjoyed knowing nothing of his plays, I think you’d get far more from it if you have at least some knowledge. If We Were Villains really isn’t pretentious or elitist, it is very much a coming of age novel with real depth and layers. Anybody who has been in a tight-knit friendship group or who has lived with a group of people can understand the feelings and emotions experienced by the main players of this novel. This book is going on my Favourite Book list and I think I am going to give it a second read so I can absorb some more of the beautiful imagery and world that M.L. Rio has created in this extraordinary book.

If We Were Villains is often recommended to those who enjoyed The Secret History and it's easy to see why. Both take place at prestigious schools with a groups of characters who are enamoured with the arts. Perhaps the most obvious point of comparison is that both schools are rocked by the death of one their own. So the mystery unfolds. One thing that's unique to If We Were Villains is the constant use of Shakespeare's prose. I am a fan of the Bard but I must say that I found the insertion of his words to be clunky and unnecessary at times. Interestingly the writer does acknowledge in the notes at the end that this may seem 'pretentious' and I do wonder why in knowing this they proceeded so relentlessly to shoehorn in as much Shakespeare as possible. For me, the overload of Shakespeare became jarring and left me wondering how The Secret History could have ever been used as a yardstick to this novel. Now don't get me wrong, this is a brave first novel, but the author has a long way to go before they can be juxtaposed with such literary greats.

I loved this book - I was already a fan of dark academia (probably because I went to a dusty, wooden-panelled boarding school where I studied pretentious things like Latin so I feel at home in the creaky, slightly oppressive, candlelit setting), and then when you add in Shakespeare and a love of acting/theatre, well it just felt like a personalised cocktail of a tale. I thought M.L. Rio did a great job of grounding the text in Shakespeare without making it repetitive or alienating - the quotations were well-selected and helped give the reader an insight into what the characters were thinking, but also they served to keep us just at arm's length so we didn't fully get to know them, which I think added to the suspense of the mystery. The setting of Dellecher was excellent, and like in so many of the great Shakespearean plays, became a living, breathing character of its own - also doing its part to contain the secrets of the students. M.L. Rio must have intimate knowledge or experience of drama school and/or working with actors because the relationships and behaviours are so accurate - the inseparability they demonstrate, even when they've spent 24/7 with each other and are in the midst of a fearsome quarrel. The self-doubt masquerading as confidence, arrogance, ambivalence, when in actuality they're all terrified they're not good enough. The base instinct need for acceptance from their peers, to feel part of a troop - I think this has something to do with having to be so emotionally vulnerable and open onstage in order to act well that you seek acceptance and reassurance from those who were witness to that vulnerability. Honestly the list could go on, but the relationships felt incredibly vibrant, and real, and accurate to that experience as an actor. I loved the imagery and descriptions of the weather, the grounds, everything that helped establish the setting. Such a huge part of dark academia is the aesthetic and the atmosphere and if you can't vividly conjure the setting in the reader's mind, you've already lost their attention. Ugh if you can't tell I just loved it, definitely a fave of this year.

Quite a dense read but worth ploughing through it.

Although I dislike new books/authors being compared to past ones, I must admit that I was tempted to buy this novel through the comparisons to “The Secret History.” There are similarities, but, obviously, also lots of differences. Saying that, if you do enjoy authors such as Donna Tartt and Marisha Pessl, you will probably also enjoy this. It has the same sense of place and character, and falls most comfortably under the heading of literary mystery. We first meet Oliver Marks when he is released from prison after ten years, to be met by Joseph Colborne, the detective who investigated the crime which saw Oliver incarcerated. Now retired from the force, Colborne tells Oliver he is going to work for a private security firm and asks Oliver to tell him what really happened… This allows Oliver to narrate events, beginning on a new September term, 1997 at Dellecher Classical Conservatory in Broadwater, Illinois. Oliver is one of a small group of fourth year drama students; the others being Richard, Meredith, Filippa, Alexander, Wren, James and Oliver himself. This is a insular group, within a group, of aspiring Shakespearean thespians. The whole ethos of Dellecher is elitist, with everyone in the drama department constantly quoting Shakespeare throughout the entire novel – so if you are not a fan of the bard, then this book is best avoided. The author deftly, but slowly, builds the tension as the story advances. There are personal links and sub groups, ties and jealousies. Although the group appear to be tight knit, slowly you become aware that all is not as joyful, and close, as it appears from the outside. Of course, there are those who constantly get the better parts, those who are slightly in the background and simmering tensions. When one of the group dies, the police do not believe the story they are told and the group begins to fall apart, leading to Oliver’s arrest. Of course, though, it is not a straightforward tale, and this is why Colborne has waited so long to hear the truth. A very entertaining, intelligent and well written mystery, with a great setting and cast of characters.

It's unfortunate that I feel the need to compare, (in any way)... but i'd say The Secret History is colder, more logical/rigid and callous... If We Were Villains is more warm, emotional, passionate... and dare I say, 'young person friendly?' It tore my heart right out of my chest by the end, (in a similar... though not totally as intense way) as The Song of Achilles did. Overall, a brilliant book by itself, however, reading it after The Secret History likely takes away much of the magick, as there are plenty of similarities in their themes, and one cannot help but subconsciously compare the two. (The Secret History being a lot less, shall we say... 'surface level?') (Despite the storyline being completely different, there's an aesthetic/environmental undertone that relates them both together... though they deserve independent praise!) Above all, a 10/10 page turner!!