Our sheer capacity for feeling got to be so unwieldly that we staggered under it, like Atlas with the weight of the world.
If We Were Villains
by M. L. Rio
Genre: Dark Academia
My thoughts
This is such an incredible debut and does everything you could possibly want from the dark academia genre. The story follows Oliver Marks, a student at an elitist (verging on cultist) College of Art. He was studying drama, exclusively Shakespeare, but that was ten years ago. Now he's due to be released from prison after serving time for murdering a fellow student.
The narration pulls us back and forth to his student times and his reflections of those times. It's utterly compelling to watch the friendship dynamics shift, to witness the obsessions, lusts, betrayals and intense rivalries between the group. There are secrets and layers of mystery to this tale, and M. L. Rio does an excellent job of bringing all the richness of Shakespeare into how the story plays out. Truly, if Shakespeare is not your thing, this book will make you appreciate the wordsmith in a whole new light. Everything is dramatized. Grief is something visual for the reader as well as deeply internal and haunting for the characters to experience, from beginning to end. The detective poking around the crime scene has monologues that read as if he's talking directly to the reader, amping our tension for the characters. And of course everyone quotes Shakespeare. The dual performances showcase the characters pull between reality and the persona they're putting on. It can feel indulgent and dangerous and beyond their control.
I especially loved how the plays built on the changing themes to the story. Each play possesses the characters and shifts their dynamics. From rehearsal to opening night, the impact of performing these plays puts a strain on the characters and draws the story to its inevitable end.
While I didn't find it a surprise who was murdered, the tension continues to build right up until the fatal moment. Likewise, the true killer isn't much of a shock but the emotions leading up to the reveal are beautifully drawn out. The real surprise came in the ending, which was the only disappointment I had with this book because it highlighted how secondary all the female characters were to the story.
Female vs male characters
The women in this novel are interesting and necessary to the story, but in the same way supporting actors are. Ultimately, they're not given their scenes. Meredith is the leading lady but easily eclipsed by James. She suspects Oliver loves James more than her and is proved correct when he goes to prison for James. And then when he's released, Oliver goes to Meredith as his second choice after finding out James committed suicide. The ending hints that, despite Meredith forgiving him and Oliver committing to being with her, he will leave her in search of James, since James's farewell letter suggested he may not, in fact, be dead.
It's the same for the other female characters. Wren is used by James and becomes a recluse almost from the moment her cousin is killed. Filippa, I loved, but she was the observer, the glue, and never had any significant scenes for the reader or in the plays. The characters with presence and the dramatic moments were given exclusively to the men. Richard never stops looming on the page. Oliver and James have such a complicated relationship and were fascinating to watch. Even Alexander had a big storyline as his addiction reflected the problems in the group and the psychological effects to the aftermath of the murder.
Verdict
Utterly compelling, beautifully crafted storytelling and all that is rich about Shakespeare's works. I loved the atmosphere of this novel and couldn't look away. I only wish the female characters were given as much importance as the male characters.
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