Publication Date: August 20, 2024
One secret could destroy them all. The brand new dark academia debut for 2024 and a gripping tale of revenge, guilt, privilege, and loyalty, perfect for fans of The Secret History and If We Were Villains
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. And, according to everyone else, we were dangerous.
It would have made our lives a lot easier if Marta had simply pushed our prefect 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.
Four scholarship students drawn together by shared experiences navigate unexpected treachery at an elite boarding school.
This psychological thriller, aptly named The Four, takes readers deep into the human psyche, exploring good and evil. Author Ellie Keel serves up a riveting coming-of-age thriller packed with unexpected twists.
Marta, Lloyd, Sami, and Rose are known as Millennium Scholars, which puts them in the crosshairs of the other students. The story is narrated in first person by Rose, who adds context to key events by foreshadowing things to come.
It doesn’t take long for the reader to understand something horrible is about to happen. Marta often finds herself being bullied, which threatens her already fragile personality. This serves as the catalyst for dramatic twists and turns.
The Four delivers a horrifying tale showcasing what can happen when someone is pushed too far within a boarding school atmosphere.
Ellie Keel is an award-winning producer and activist. She is the founding director of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, a literary prize and campaign for gender equality among writers for the stage in the UK and Ireland. In January 2024 she was the youngest producer ever to win Producer of the Year in the Stage Awards. She is based in London. The Four is her debut novel.