Dark Academia

Shakespearean passions rage in the book, only they are provoked by human stupidity. A group of students are studying at a theatre school.

The plot centres on seven characters who are studying to be actors and are in their final year. During their studies they have turned into a kind of family, and also formed an ideal theatre company, where everyone is in his place: Richard - king or tyrant; James - eternal ;hero Alexander - villain; Meredith - seductress; Ren - ingénue; Philippa - chameleon, able to play any role, even male.A Oliver - eternal assistant and squire, who plugs holes. Oliver is also the main narrator of the story, though not the main character. Amusingly, until the very end of the tragedy, he is exactly the same as his eternal helper role, though we see the story through his eyes and feel it through his heart. And what a big heart it is!

True, there is an eighth hero of the book, Shakespeare. He is everywhere, because the characters put on his plays, communicate in his words, and without knowing his works, you can miss a considerable layer of the narrative. After all, the characters are not just playing his characters, but very tragically repeating their story without wanting to. From this stems their personal tragedy.

This book is reminiscent of Donna Tartt and her "Secret History", in atmosphere close to the film "Kill Your Loved Ones".

Their lives are filled with art, booze, drugs and Shakespeare. The guys come from different social backgrounds, each has difficulties with their parents and a favourite cause. It would seem that they are like-minded. But they're also rivals. And also envy, and also the vicissitudes of love. As Oliver admits, the actors feel too strongly, so the story is entirely built on emotions. You sympathise with the guys, even when they are at fault, even the exasperated Richard. As painful and emotional as the hatred is, the book describes love. Oliver loves and protects all of his friends, but his feelings for his best friend James and the beautiful Meredith are especially strong. With James they hit it off hard, so it can't even be called love, more like an addiction, they are like Achilles and Patroclus, Macbeth and Banquo. James in his final year sometimes changes his role from hero to villain, but Oliver is still his loyal shadow, conscience and protector. "But who were we? In ten years I never found the right word to describe us" The ending of the story is sad, the author gives us enough information to make up our own minds for ourselves. It's a simple story that will surely stay in your heart for a long time.

"- Do you blame Shakespeare for something?