If We Were Villains by M.L Rio – Adaptation Discussion and Review
- Published: April 11, 2017
- Pages: 354
- Genre: Dark Academia, Thriller, Mystery
Oliver Marks is set to be released after serving ten years for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day of his release, Detective Colborne – the detective in charge of the case – asks him one last time to tell him the truth before he retires.
If We Were Villains is my favourite book of all time; I have read and re-read passages of the novel numerous times and thought about it at length. There are so many aspects to If We Were Villains that I enjoy, some of which I’m not sure I can even articulate, but here are just a few:
- The value and impact that this novel had on my life and psyche should honestly be evaluated. There are a great number of quotes and passages that I would love to hoard forever; My copy on the novel is riddled with sticky notes and annotations presenting my love for how this book is written and I even have a Shakespeare/ IWWV tattoo.
- One of the things I love the most about the novel are the relationships between the characters, the found family aspect of the friend group, the trio’s and duo’s, the romances. However, most especially, I adore the connection between James and Oliver. Ultimately one of the most compelling parts of the novel is how their friendship develops throughout the book and how their mutual obsession with one another builds into the finale. There is a tension throughout the novel that presents both in the relationship itself and in what their dynamic means for the shift in the outer circle of the group.
- There is much to be said about the Shakespearean contribution to this novel: in the characterisation of the MC’s as typical Shakespearean tropes, the use of dialogue written in a play-like structure, how the Shakespearean passages reflect the internal and external conflicts presented in the characters and overarching plot of the novel itself, etc. I could go on and on, truly.
“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.“
Rio, P. 177
Adaptation Discussion:
There was discussion online recently about a potential adaptation of If We Were Villains; while M.L Rio herself has confirmed that the book has not yet been picked up for the aforementioned adaptation, it did get me thinking about what that adaptation would look like.
My main worry with adaptations is, almost always, if they are going to get the characters right. Now, this doesn’t just mean casting – because that is a very different conversation and one that can be quite nuanced. I have very little concern about that, my only request would be for them to be unknown/ relatively unknown actors. However, I do worry about the characterisation, as the cast of characters is one that is very singular and beautifully imperfect. I often feel that tv shows and movies have a tendency of diluting characters in their adaptations as a means of making them ‘likable’ – which I don’t believe any of the characters are in my opinion.
I do also need the chemistry to be there for the entirety of the group – like literally every single one of them, but James and Oliver in particular (for obvious reasons…). I believe the relationships between each of the characters to be one of the most compelling parts of the novel, and therefore that would need to be a priority in terms of casting as well.
To be honest though, I am very excited at the prospect of an adaptation. I believe that If We Were Villains lends itself very well to the small screen, and it would have to be the small screen as there is no way a movie would be enough to showcase the nuance of the novel. Also, the idea of the adaptation having a play-like structure as the book does, with each act being an individual episode of necessary length is incredibly interesting (although that’s just a theory and might not work in principle).
Overall, I think an adaptation could 100% work. If they play their cards right, an If We Were Villains adaptation could be very successful and even if not, I will be cheering for it regardless.