If We Were Villains: Review
Alongside great reads like Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch and The Secret History, Delia Owen’s Where The Crawdads Sing, and Allison Epstein’s A Tip for the Hangman has come a new dark academia read: M. L. Rio’s debut novel, If We Were Liars is entrancing, murderous, and so, so, captivating.
Following the narration of Oliver Marks, a former student and actor at Dellecher Shakespeare Company conservatory, the audience is brought back and forth on the timeline of Oliver’s days at the conservatory, as well as his final days and release from prison. He has been arrested for the murder of fellow classmate, Richard Stirling, the leading man in their cast. As the plot unravels, we meet an entire cast of conservatory members (and staff), that built towards Richard’s death, Oliver’s arrest, and Oliver’s release.
The overlapping plot lines create an intense read, one I couldn’t possibly put down - or, pause for that matter (audiobook). The author intertwines Shakespeare’s quotes and classical verse without it being overwhelming or complicated - working in favor of those who are and are not familiar with the bard in question. Throughout the plot, the characters perform in several of Shakespeare’s classical plays - Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Caesar (just to name a few) - and Rio’s descriptions of every performance not only made me feel like I was watching these productions, but also like I really, REALLY wanted to!
Unlike most modern “dark academia” books, I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing plot for writing quality or vice versa. It was well written, enthralling, and kept me guessing up until the very end.
I would definitely recommend giving it a read!
