Sara Mesa’s new novel Four by Four invites the reader into the dark world of Wybrany College, a private school that claims to keep the children of the elite safe from the horrors of the world around them. Set in Spain where civil unrest has spread throughout the country, Mesa creates an alternate reality of sorts which still mirrors our own world in many ways. When compared to the outside world, this exclusive boarding school appears as an oasis amidst the chaos; but sometimes appearances can be deceiving.
Divided into three parts, this novel unfolds much like a ball rolling downhill, picking up speed as hints build one upon the other until explicit revelations are made about the true nature of Wybrany College. The first part of Mesa’s story places a close lens upon a young scholarship student named Celia. Coming into the school from the danger of the surrounding world for only her final year, Celia is an outsider — she is not from a wealthy family, she frequently breaks the rules and struggles to find her place in this new setting. And yet over time she resigns herself to her fate, even in the face of the unsettling things which happen around her. The second part of the novel shifts in both time and voice to a series of journal entries made by a substitute teacher at the school. As he flounders his way through each day, fearful of being exposed as a fraud — you see, he is not really a trained teacher at all — he also begins to unravel some very dark secrets. Mesa then lays it all out in the gripping final part of this novel, formatted as a brief composition by one of Wybrany College’s former teachers.
The writing in Four by Four is sharp and engaging. Mesa skilfully explores a long list of themes which are pertinent in today’s society, all within the relatively short space of less than 250 pages. The story’s setting drives the commentary on the dynamics inherent between those who are in power and those who are not, issues which include the authority and agency (or lack thereof) that is found throughout social structures. She considers how it is possible, sometimes even necessary, for humans to accept the unacceptable …. or at least turn a blind eye to things outside of their control. Mesa digs in even deeper to probe the power of fear as an agent of control, as well as the benefits, even the pleasure, derived from gaining such power. She delicately scrapes at the veneer of lies upon which Wybrany College is built, the false sense of security created by the school, to unveil the truth hidden beneath and depict how information can be wielded to the advantage of some and the detriment of others.
Novels evoking the gothic literary tradition appear to be all the rage this year and if this genre interests you, you will not be disappointed with Mesa’s work!
Four By Four is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore! Many thanks to Open Letter Books for championing translated literature and providing an advance copy of this phenomenal book, which is one of my favourite reads of the year so far!
Sara Mesa is the author of eight works of fiction, including Scar (winner of the Ojo Critico Prize), Four by Four (a finalist for the Herralde Prize), An Invisible Fire (winner of the Premio Málaga de Novela), and Cara de Pan (forthcoming from Open Letter). Her works have been translated into more than ten different languages, and has been widely praised for her concise, sharp writing style.
Will you be picking up Four By Four? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Set entirely at Wybrany College—a school where the wealthy keep their kids safe from the chaos erupting in the cities—Four by Four is a novel of insinuation and gossip, in which the truth about Wybrany’s “program” is always palpable, but never explicit. The mysteries populating the novel open with the disappearance of one of the “special,” scholarship students. As the first part unfolds, it becomes clear that all is not well in Wybrany, and that something more sordid lurks beneath the surface.
In the second part—a diary written by an imposter who has infiltrated the school as a substitute teacher—the eerie sense of what’s happening in this space removed from society, becomes more acute and potentially sinister.
An exploration of the relationship between the powerful and powerless—and the repetition of these patterns—Mesa’s “sophisticated nightmare” calls to mind great works of gothic literature (think Shirley Jackson) and social thrillers to create a unique, unsettling view of freedom and how a fear of the outside world can create monsters.
