“Much like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, M. L. Rio’s sparkling debut is a richly layered story of love, friendship, and obsession…will keep you riveted through its final, electrifying moments.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest“Nerdily (and winningly) in love with Shakespeare…Readable, smart.”—New York Times Book ReviewOn the day Oliver Marks is released … York Times Book Review
On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.
A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras.
But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.
If We Were Villains was named one of Bustle’s Best Thriller Novels of the Year, and Mystery Scene says, “A well-written and gripping ode to the stage…A fascinating, unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth.”
more
If We Were Villains is hands down one of my new favorite books. It follows seven theater students attending the elite Dellecher Classical Conservatory, where they live and breathe Shakespeare. As tensions rise among the group of friends, relationships are strained, and ultimately, someone ends up dead. Oliver is in jail, but there are still so many questions, even years later.
The reader is along for the ride as Oliver tells the story of that fateful final year at Dellecher to the officer who arrested him, and I could not wait to find out what happened. On top of everything else, the writing in this book was beautiful. If We Were Villains was M.L. Rio’s debut novel, and I know I will be running to the bookstore to pick up whatever she comes out with next!
Loved the twist at the end, and also the “homework”. There is a sort of epilogue in there if you do some research on the passage the author refers to for a clue as to what happens next…..!
Fans of Shakespeare and the theatre will adore this book. It opens with telling you there’s a murder, but even after it happens, you’ve got no idea who did it. The frequent Shakespeare quotes lend a whole extra depth to the interactions. I loved it!
Probably one of my favorite books so far this year. I really loved the characters and the interesting premise. I especially loved how Shakespeare was folded in with the narrative.
This was a wonderful read. Fans of Shakespeare and/or theater will absolutely fall in love with this book! We chose it for book club and it definitely had plenty for us to delve into, especially when it comes to the relationships that are developed throughout it’s entirety. In the end we were left to speculate some, but it didn’t leave us unsatisfied. I would recommend this for sure.
-Description-
Murder mystery mixed with Shakespeare and theater school….you know, all that “to be or not to be, that is the question”, Ceaser, Hamlet, “Double Double Toil and Trouble”. That’s all I got off the top of my head.
Oliver has just gotten out of serving a 10 year sentence (for what, I’m not completely sure yet) and he’s about to spill the beans of what actually happened to the detective (who is now retired) that worked on this case.
-Thoughts-
1. I just didn’t care. The characters sort of all thought the same, they did not all have their own personalities. They were not particularly lovable or hatable….which made it hard for me to connect with them. Richard-Why did he act the way he did? I could never figure it out. The group’s response was just, “ok, this is happening…” but no real talk of why.
2. It has a lot of Shakespeare references, which aren’t for me. It felt like too much effort and the dialogue was not at all realistic.
3. The only semi-redeeming part was the “twist”, but because I didn’t really know or care about Oliver, Phillipa, Wren, James…the twist wasn’t all that meaningful. I think the story would have been better if the story was just told, without the need to have a “twist”….when I’m waiting for the big reveal, the twist has lost its excitement.
-Rating-
2/5 Theater Masks
-Similar Recommended Reads-
The Silent Patient
The Boy in the Suitcase
The Woman in Cabin 10
My Cousin Rachel
If We Were Villains is told from Oliver Marks point of view. He is one of seven friends who are Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. When the story begins we find Oliver is getting out of jail and he meets the detective, Colborne, that put him there. What unfolds is a fast-paced story of love, betrayal, murder, and friendship all in a secluded world. As Oliver begins to tell the story that Detective Colborne want to know we learn the truth of the murder and we also see how the friendships changed over the years. Especially after their own tragedy that the remaining six faced and had to learn to cope with. I felt that this was a wonderful debut and look forward to more works by M.L. Rio.
Narrator: Robert Petkoff
Robert kept me hooked on this story and did an excellent job at switching voices. So well I felt that he was not alone in narrating this story.