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If We Were Villains
M.L. Rio
368 pages | Published by Flatiron Books
We meet Oliver as he is being released from prison after ten years, ready to tell all. In five acts of flashbacks, we go back to Oliver and his six classmates in their fourth and final year of an intensive acting program. As egos inflate and pressure builds, one night turns violent leaving one member of their troupe dead. All good actors and all with their own part to play, the remainder of the year is a struggle to recalibrate and prove their innocence.
W-O-W. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this - it's been on my shelf for a while now and had I known how much I would love it I would have picked it up sooner. I do wish I knew Shakespeare better - my lack of Shakespeare knowledge didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book but I think it could have added even more depth to it for me.
This is a dark dark book that featured, and then beautifully ripped apart, one of my favorite tropes: the found family. A dysfunctional group of people who have bonded so fiercely over their love of one thing? Can't beat it, in my opinion. The slow downward spiral of this group was agonizing but also felt completely natural - given the horrifying circumstances.
If I'm being honest, this is just a book that I absolutely loved but have a hard time expressing exactly why. It was dark and tragic and made me ache. It just made me feel a lot of things and what more can you ask for, really?
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