“If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio

A mysterious and eerie novel about college-aged theater kids

By: Avery Wageman

M.L. Rio’s 2017 mysterious dark academia novel, “If We Were Villains,” received a rare five-out-of-five star rating from me. After his release from a ten-year prison sentence, Oliver Marks reflects on the months leading up to his arrest, slowly revealing the crime he was imprisoned for. Over the course of the book, the events of Oliver’s senior year in the Shakespeare theater program at a Midwestern performing arts school unravel amid the performances and relationships with six fellow seniors. 

While at times moody and somber, Rio creates a story that is almost dreamlike in its ability to blur the lines between the characters’ reality and the fictitious realm of Shakespeare’s work. Rio holds a master’s degree in Shakespeare studies, and her expertise is demonstrated in her attention to detail, weaving clever quotes and references into the characters’ conversations. Yes, this means that the seven central characters are grown-up theater kids, but their personalities and relationships encapsulate the romance, comedy, and tragedy of the plays they love so dearly. Rio’s characters are lovable despite their questionable morals and obsessive tendencies. Though “If We Were Villains” deserves a review devoid of comparison, I found it to be a much better version of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History,” though I would argue Rio creates a much more likable and less sociopathic cast of characters. 

At one point, Oliver compares the tragic events and messy aftermath of the book to Shakespeare’s “King Lear:” “This is how a tragedy like ours or ‘King Lear’ breaks your heart一by making you believe that the ending might still be happy until the very last minute.” I was heartbroken by the story’s conclusion and found that I had in fact believed that Oliver and his classmates would have a happy ending they arguably would not have deserved. 

Despite its dark premise of murder and mystery, the characters fill the darkest parts of this eerie mystery with love and camaraderie, a true found family that shares a passionate love for Shakespeare’s prose.