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A review by river24
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5
As if we were villains on necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion...
Never before have I reacted so viscerally to a book. This was better than anything I could ever have possibly dreamed. I have been sobbing and sobbing and sobbing and it's been glorious. An instant favourite for me! Absolutely earth-shattering.
Every single part of this story is so emotional, down to the very bones of the writing and each structured choice. I have never before encountered a book that made me so incurably anxious that I felt like throwing up and (much to my despair) I don't think I ever will again. We, the reader, become so invested in the characters so quickly that it's impossible not to feel their every raw emotion, their dramatic, jarring highs and lows. It's a story that envelops you in it and suffocates you, and I can wholeheartedly say I have never then wanted to breathe less.
You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.
Shakespeare is, very obviously, a fundamental, core part of both the characters and the narrative. I love Shakespeare and so this was already exactly the kind of book that I'd love, but M.L. Rio goes even further as she expertly selects and places every word with such a refined, indomitable skill.
Every single line chosen perfectly reflected the heart and soul of the characters and their woes, every line struck a deep chord that resonated throughout the rest of the story. It's so hard to explain how perfectly every word fits if you haven't already read it, but know that if I didn't know already who Shakespeare was or any of his plays, I would think every line was written for this book. The characters (pretentiously and so, so incredibly) slip in and out of Shakespeare like his words are their first language, ingrained into the roots of them. Every line is related to their situations. Even when they're acting, the scenes that we're shown always mean something.
That is what is key to understanding If We Were Villains: every line has another meaning, everything is riddled with subtext. It's a contradictory book, written in subtle words whilst showcasing explosive themes. It's a book that demands your full attention and your every thought, I doubt it will ever release its hold on me. It's intelligent in a way I've rarely found even the smartest books of being, in that it knows every word's interpretation and fits every contrasting meaning. It knows exactly what it is and what it means, it's precise and unwavering and unconquerable.
I need language to live, like food—lexemes and morphemes and morsels of meaning nourish me with the knowledge that, yes, there is a word for this. Someone else has felt it before.
The characters were incredible. I won't even pretend to understand them in all their glory, but they were unceasingly fascinating. Choosing Oliver as our (unreliable) narrator was at times excruciatingly frustrating, but nevertheless a perfect decision. To his oblivious eyes, the world and all its players are opaque, their meanings elude him, their motivations barred behind immovable doors. Yet through Oliver we find a unique perspective we wouldn't find with any other character and in that we are able to see each character under a lighter lens. They are still complicated, scattered, broken things, but Oliver holds almost all of them in a fair gaze that allows us to connect with every one.
What I find most captivating about the characters is the predestined roles that they play. Shakespeare haunts every breath they take and rules their every thought. They fall into each role naturally and they let it affect them. They are pieces of every story that they love, every character that they play. And, as is the way of the obsessed intellectual, they crumble into themselves. M.L. Rio navigates their positions like an art in itself, relating their fears, their emotions and their actions to their character whilst deftly twisting the story into her own tragic creation. The shifting of dynamics and roles also plays such a huge, intriguing part in the substance of this story, making it almost impossible to ignore.
That is precisely how M.L. Rio constructs this story: she starts quietly, whispering in words beneath the text, hiding in its depths, afraid to show its true face until the reckoning. These whispers begin to build, other scenes demand their presence, other characters pull them from below the ground, other secrets stir. Then, finally, when the whispers have turned to deafening cries the story has no choice but to say it aloud. It commands you listen to it.
Which of us could say we were more sinned against than sinning?
In short, this is the perfect book for me and it encapsulates everything that I love. I don't want to discuss the plot too much for fear of spoilers, but I will say that I have never felt so much; hatred, anger, pain, grief, all of it. It's an unforgettable story that accomplishes no small feat. I implore you to read this and let it consume you, you will never be the same.
Where is the villain, Edmund?
As if we were villains on necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion...
Never before have I reacted so viscerally to a book. This was better than anything I could ever have possibly dreamed. I have been sobbing and sobbing and sobbing and it's been glorious. An instant favourite for me! Absolutely earth-shattering.
Every single part of this story is so emotional, down to the very bones of the writing and each structured choice. I have never before encountered a book that made me so incurably anxious that I felt like throwing up and (much to my despair) I don't think I ever will again. We, the reader, become so invested in the characters so quickly that it's impossible not to feel their every raw emotion, their dramatic, jarring highs and lows. It's a story that envelops you in it and suffocates you, and I can wholeheartedly say I have never then wanted to breathe less.
You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.
Shakespeare is, very obviously, a fundamental, core part of both the characters and the narrative. I love Shakespeare and so this was already exactly the kind of book that I'd love, but M.L. Rio goes even further as she expertly selects and places every word with such a refined, indomitable skill.
Every single line chosen perfectly reflected the heart and soul of the characters and their woes, every line struck a deep chord that resonated throughout the rest of the story. It's so hard to explain how perfectly every word fits if you haven't already read it, but know that if I didn't know already who Shakespeare was or any of his plays, I would think every line was written for this book. The characters (pretentiously and so, so incredibly) slip in and out of Shakespeare like his words are their first language, ingrained into the roots of them. Every line is related to their situations. Even when they're acting, the scenes that we're shown always mean something.
That is what is key to understanding If We Were Villains: every line has another meaning, everything is riddled with subtext. It's a contradictory book, written in subtle words whilst showcasing explosive themes. It's a book that demands your full attention and your every thought, I doubt it will ever release its hold on me. It's intelligent in a way I've rarely found even the smartest books of being, in that it knows every word's interpretation and fits every contrasting meaning. It knows exactly what it is and what it means, it's precise and unwavering and unconquerable.
I need language to live, like food—lexemes and morphemes and morsels of meaning nourish me with the knowledge that, yes, there is a word for this. Someone else has felt it before.
The characters were incredible. I won't even pretend to understand them in all their glory, but they were unceasingly fascinating. Choosing Oliver as our (unreliable) narrator was at times excruciatingly frustrating, but nevertheless a perfect decision. To his oblivious eyes, the world and all its players are opaque, their meanings elude him, their motivations barred behind immovable doors. Yet through Oliver we find a unique perspective we wouldn't find with any other character and in that we are able to see each character under a lighter lens. They are still complicated, scattered, broken things, but Oliver holds almost all of them in a fair gaze that allows us to connect with every one.
What I find most captivating about the characters is the predestined roles that they play. Shakespeare haunts every breath they take and rules their every thought. They fall into each role naturally and they let it affect them. They are pieces of every story that they love, every character that they play. And, as is the way of the obsessed intellectual, they crumble into themselves. M.L. Rio navigates their positions like an art in itself, relating their fears, their emotions and their actions to their character whilst deftly twisting the story into her own tragic creation. The shifting of dynamics and roles also plays such a huge, intriguing part in the substance of this story, making it almost impossible to ignore.
That is precisely how M.L. Rio constructs this story: she starts quietly, whispering in words beneath the text, hiding in its depths, afraid to show its true face until the reckoning. These whispers begin to build, other scenes demand their presence, other characters pull them from below the ground, other secrets stir. Then, finally, when the whispers have turned to deafening cries the story has no choice but to say it aloud. It commands you listen to it.
Which of us could say we were more sinned against than sinning?
In short, this is the perfect book for me and it encapsulates everything that I love. I don't want to discuss the plot too much for fear of spoilers, but I will say that I have never felt so much; hatred, anger, pain, grief, all of it. It's an unforgettable story that accomplishes no small feat. I implore you to read this and let it consume you, you will never be the same.
Where is the villain, Edmund?