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A review by celenac
Four by Four by Sara Mesa
3.0
3.5 stars
Although the story has a mysterious atmosphere, to the readers nothing really is a mystery about Wybrany -- the book's premise doesn't hide what kind of school Wybrany is and the fact that it puts up a facade. There aren't any big surprises in the story, and the buildup is very gradual, but I still think it's an interesting read. I kept wanting to read more, even though there weren't really any cliffhangers.
It's a disturbing story because of how all the students and staff normalize the power dynamics and abuse going on at the school and how such normalization makes it hard for anyone to speak the truth. Everyone knows what's going on and knows that others know too, but they leave everything unspoken to maintain an idealized image of the school for outsiders and themselves. It was interesting to get to know the different characters (particularly the teachers) through various interactions and conversations showing their complacency. The writing style is straightforward and not dramatic or flowery at all, and that complemented the whole unbothered, "nothing is wrong" vibe of the community at the school well.
Although the story has a mysterious atmosphere, to the readers nothing really is a mystery about Wybrany -- the book's premise doesn't hide what kind of school Wybrany is and the fact that it puts up a facade. There aren't any big surprises in the story, and the buildup is very gradual, but I still think it's an interesting read. I kept wanting to read more, even though there weren't really any cliffhangers.
It's a disturbing story because of how all the students and staff normalize the power dynamics and abuse going on at the school and how such normalization makes it hard for anyone to speak the truth. Everyone knows what's going on and knows that others know too, but they leave everything unspoken to maintain an idealized image of the school for outsiders and themselves. It was interesting to get to know the different characters (particularly the teachers) through various interactions and conversations showing their complacency. The writing style is straightforward and not dramatic or flowery at all, and that complemented the whole unbothered, "nothing is wrong" vibe of the community at the school well.