Four by Four, Sara Mesa
Four by Four, Sara Mesa
List: $15.99 | Sale: $11.20
Club: $7.99

Four by Four

Author: Sara Mesa, Katie Whittemore

Narrator: Timothy Andrés Pabon, Jennifer Jill Araya

Unabridged: 7 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/16/2020

Categories: Fiction, Psychological


Synopsis

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 even more acute and 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.

About Sara Mesa

Sara Mesa is the author of several 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 Malaga de Novela), and Cara de Pan. Her works have been translated into more than ten different languages, and she has been widely praised for her concise, sharp writing style.


Reviews

‘One escapes the external evils, certainly, but monsters are generated inside these walls.’ The need for safety is a powerful motivation, and one that has been exploited time and time again for purposes of power. Sara Mesa’s Four by Four is a profoundly chilling investigation into the hierarchies of......more

Goodreads review by Pedro

Oh-my-god, this was weird! And Nightmarish! And so bloody addictive!!! I usually don’t do plot summaries in my reviews but this time I’m making an exception. Here we go then: so this is the story of some f*cked up place inhabited by equally f*cked up people doing f*cked up nasty things to one anothe......more