A review by elwirax
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book sat on my shelves for years. I really wanted to love it, alas, it wasn't meant to be.


What I liked:

  • I was really immersed in the performance of Macbeth and I really enjoyed seeing the play through the eyes of these characters. This was perhaps one of my favourite parts of the book, atmosphere wise and foreshadowing wise. Casting Richard as an apparition in the play and for him to later metaphorically haunt Oliver after his death was such an interesting bluring of lines between fiction and reality. Another scene I thought was well done was at the Christmas Masque and the Romeo and Juliet performance. This further illustrated the blurring of lines but also acknowledged the fate of Oliver and James' relationship.


What I didn't like:

  • There wasn't much character development and they all ultimately personified the tropes they acted out on stage. I wanted to know more of Richard's character other than the fact he was an abusive brute. If they were all friends why the sudden change in his behaviour? Surely ego was not the only catalyst? In this sense the build up was weak. 

  • The pacing was also slightly off but as I am unfamiliar with Shakespeare's structure, it may well be an ode to the original. Nevertheless, I do think that my qualm with Richard's sudden behaviour change could have been better developed had the climax occurred later than the 2nd Act. This choice left the 3 acts after to be sort of meandering and the characterisation completely inconsistent. While this makes sense as they are actors (and ones who are trying to escape and mask their own actions), it was very difficult to like any of them. 

  • Meredith and Oliver's relationship felt unnecessary and the scene with his family and his sister's eating disorder (which Oliver belittles) felt very out of place. The family plot point was really just a springboard for the way Oliver finds the murder weapon and thus, the culprit. This could've been done in a more interesting way. 

  • I think the Queer representation wasn't very good and was only introduced as a tragic turning point for the plot which is not only cheap but overused. 

  • The use of language was also quite questionable in parts. The description of women (particularly Meredith) was particularly unsavoury. There were uses of phrases such as ' sitting like storybook Indians,' 'with the cold scrutiny of a slave trader at auction,' 'gyspy' and a strange transgender joke that felt out of place. I feel like these just weren't necessary and other descriptions could've been used.

Overall, none of this book was really surprising or mysterious and I think this is both a strength and a weakness. A strength in the sense that Rio weaved Shakespeare well into the story, and the plays acted as foreshadowing for what was to come. Yet, even as someone who has not read the plays referenced in 'If We Were Villains,' it was just too predictable to feel fully invested because the plays are so well known. That being said, I do think it paid a nice homage to Shakespeare's work.
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