Review of FOUR BY FOUR by Sara Mesa

 3.5 Stars

Earlier this year, I read Among the Hedges by Sara Mesa (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/04/review-of-among-hedges-by-sara-mesa.html); it left me wanting to read more by this Spanish writer.  Four by Four proves to be as unsettling as Among the Hedges. 

The book has a tripartite structure.  In Part I, we are given the perspective of several students at Wybrany College, an isolated, elite boarding school where students are educated while protected from the chaos of the outside world.  (The college was founded by a Polish man, and the name of the college translates as Chosen, a word that proves to be perfect for the institution.)  The students are divided into two groups:  the “normals” are the children of wealthy families, whereas the “specials” are scholarship students, usually the children of the college’s staff.  The scholarship students are viewed as second-class.  Celia, one of those students, wants to leave even though the Advisor takes an especial interest in helping her.  Ignacio, another scholarship student, is relentlessly bullied. 

Part II is the diary of Isidro Bedragare, a substitute teacher.  Celia has disappeared and Ignacio is no longer a victim of bullying.  The Advisor has become the Assistant Headmaster.  These changes leave the reader feeling disoriented, but this is obviously intentional.  Bedragare senses that there is something hidden and sinister going on within the school, though he has difficulty discovering the school’s secrets because conversations with staff tend to be deliberately elliptical. 

Part III is a cryptic story written by Bedragare’s predecessor, Garcia Medrano.  His abstract fiction seems to be an allegory for events at Wybrany.  It sheds some light on the school’s secrets.

What stands out is the disturbing atmosphere throughout.  It does not take long for the reader to sense that everything is not as it seems.  The reluctance of staff to speak suggests sinister secrets.  Events like disappearances and the killing of an animal confirm that something is deeply wrong, that there is a heart of darkness.  The school that is supposed to be a refuge may in fact be the exact opposite for some.  It is also made clear that asking too many questions or threatening to speak out can be dangerous. 

Reading the book often felt like trying to piece together a puzzle.  Often there are only impressions and ambiguous conversations so several times I found myself confused.  Potential readers should be forewarned that, even at the end, not everything is explained.

What is obvious is that the book is a criticism of the powerful and privileged and how they retain power and use people for their purposes.  In the novel, there are numerous  examples of people being manipulated and exploited and secrets and complicity allowing corruption to thrive. 

Like Among the Hedges, Four by Four is not a comfortable read.  It suggests that being chosen may not always be a good thing.