Review: ‘If We Were Villains’ by M. L. Rio

By combining a modern gothic setting, a group of believably flawed characters and a cruel use of foreshadowing, M. L. Rio’s debut novel, If We Were Villains, manages to tell a haunting tale of modern tragedy in a classic Shakespearean fashion. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite books from the past year as it tells a story with crushing consequences and an uncontrollable trajectory I was constantly willing to turn out well.

In brief, If We Were Villains is the story of Oliver Marks and his close knit group of fellow fourth year students at Dellecher Classical Conservatory. Each of them are actors but despite being constantly cast in the same roles on stage, shock and discomfort follow as they discover who they truly are off-stage. With each other they have no secrets but when everything is laid bare, their love turns bitter and they have nowhere to hide. A death in the group has unseen repercussions that threaten to tear each of them apart unless they can find solace in each other’s company, which is easier said than done.

What initially drew me to If We Were Villains was the title. I love the idea it expresses. It hints at the chaos which can ensue from betrayal and broken bonds and seemed to have a sinister appeal despite filling me with an immediate sense of dread.

Overall though, the complexity in the narrative is what kept me turning the pages well past a healthy limit

Rio opens the narrative on the day Oliver is released from prison, ten years on from his final year at Dellecher. However, it is not yet clear how or why he has ended up in this position. Rio’s structure is cruel on the reader, playing with their expectations and fears. Each ‘Act’ begins with a scene from the present day and while in the first couple of acts I didn’t spare much time for these glimpses of the future, it soon took all my effort not to scream in frustration as Oliver reveals all that led up to his final fate. Rio shows how foreshadowing can and should be used and it adds to the overriding tension of the novel without giving anything away.

Overall though, the complexity in the narrative is what kept me turning the pages well past a healthy limit. It is impossible not to feel some sense of affection for each of Oliver’s group. Behind their facades, they are each weak in their own right, leaving them open to abuse and exploitation. They only have each other to lean on when they are inevitably brought to ruin – a scary prospect because as young people, it is far too easy to relate to.

Helplessness was the overriding feeling that each new page inspired. The realisation that events are spiralling out of control grows over the course of the plot and there is something eerily fragile about the relationships in this novel which makes disharmony an even more terrifying concept.

As a new student about to move to university, Rio’s novel filled me with hope for the friendships such a close proximity can build

As the title suggests, the plot focuses on the role of the villain yet there is never a clear distinction. Every character has their secrets and none are truly the innocents that they at first might appear. There is no simple explanation of what triggers events to turn sour and culminate in murder but what’s more important to understanding the characters is the repercussions that strike the group. Everything they have built is threatened and Oliver becomes truly lonely even in his friends’ company.

As a new student about to move to university, Rio’s novel filled me with hope for the friendships such a close proximity can build but also terrified me as the tragedy approached its conclusion. It is a powerful novel which made me want to open up to others around me, but also built defence mechanisms into my mind. Maybe it wasn’t the perfect novel to read before going off to meet new people, but nonetheless, this is a story that drew a genuine response from me as a reader,  which I think serves as a testament to the skill in Rio’s writing. This is a stunning novel with a dark and sinister beauty that will make you question everything you know.

★★★★★