This debut novel has been everywhere all year and it’s about time we got around to reading it. ‘The Four’ by Ellie Keel sounds super dark and it gives real dark academia vibes already: scholarship students in an elite institution, a dead friend, and the mystery of what happened.

We were always The Four. From our very first day at High Realms.

The four scholarship pupils. Outsiders in a world of power and privilege.

It would have made our lives a lot easier if Marta had simply pushed Genevieve out of our bedroom window that day. Certainly, it would have been tragic. She would have died instantly.

But Marta didn’t push her then, or – if you choose to believe me – at any other time. If she had, all of what we went through would not have happened.

I’ve told this story as clearly as I could – as rationally as I’ve been able, in the circumstances, to achieve. I don’t regret what we did. And I would do it all again.

There are good dark academia tingles coming from this synopsis and we’re so excited to see if it lives up to that and delivers on the dark academia.

In this episode we discuss:

The importance of character arcs and development (and when it falls short)

Institutional maltreatment, generational expectations (and exploitation) and morality vs elitism

Justice for Marta