16 November 2018

If We Were Villains - M. L. Rio


 Rating: ✫✫✫✫✫

"Here you will make many friends, and perhaps a few enemies. Do not let the latter prospect frighten you - if you haven't made any enemies in life, you've been living too safely."

Detective Colborne wants to know the truth.  The truth about a crime in which a theatre student was found dead, ten years ago. The truth about a crime that Oliver Marks was sent to prison for. 

On Oliver's release date, Detective Colborne is waiting for him. Waiting for the truth that he knows he did not uncover a decade ago, when the case was closed. 

And so Oliver embarks on his tale of ten years ago, telling of the experiences he shared with his peers at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, where students unite over their love of Shakespeare, and find themselves swelling with ambition and competition for the best parts. Richard, the token lead, is used to getting the title roles, and the rest of the group are happy to fit in around him. Happy, that is, until their final year, when the roles are switched, and the students are given parts that they weren't expecting. When some of the group start to realise this may not be a bad thing, the balance of power turns on its head. 

And when one student pays for this with their life, Oliver realises that tragedies are not reserved for fiction.


I devoured this book, and absolutely adored every moment of reading it. The use of the theatre school focusing on Shakespeare was an element that I really enjoyed, and it was really cleverly thought out. It reminded me in fundamentals of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, but I have to say I enjoyed If We Were Villains even more. The plot felt more cohesive, and it followed a very manageable timeframe that maintains focus throughout the narrative.

The entire book was written with such sophistication, that it was incredibly slick and sharp, and this really translates to the reader. I also think that the way the story focuses on a small group of individuals works well, as it gives the impression that there are secrets everywhere. If you are a lover of literature or theatre, especially the works of Shakespeare, then this is one for you.

*spoiler alert*